Gift a Finals Week Care Package to a FinnU Student

Finlandia’s Campus Ministry is asking for donations to send current students a Finals Week Care Package during their final exams at the end of the month. Campus Ministry has provided Finals Week Care Packages for students in the past, but, in an email to alumni and friends, Pastor Sarah Semmler-Smith highlights how meaningful they are this year in particular:

On Thursday March 12th, Finlandia University did something unprecedented in its history: we sent all our students home. The COVID-19 public health crisis has led each of us to unexpected challenges associated with social distancing. What has that meant for Finlandia students?

• Where they had a residence hall, library, and classroom set aside for their learning, now they are doing their best online, in what space they can find in their home living quarters.

• Where they found in-person community on the court or field, in the chapel, and cafeteria – now their interaction with peers is almost entirely virtual.

• Where they had themselves, their academics/sports and jobs to take care of before – many more of our students are now home with extended families, where children or elders need to be watched over and and family duties are a top priority.

This is new and this is hard, for students and for all of us. But we are not in this alone! While receiving electronic support from Finlandia daily, we would also like our students to be the recipients of a tangible sign of care from here in Hancock.

With your support, campus ministry would like to send small care packages to each of our students.

The cost of one care package is $10, with a total fundraising goal of $3500. If donations exceed this benchmark, the remainder will help support The Table, our student needs pantry — open for students who are still in town.

There is much we cannot control in our lives and world right now, and much we cannot do. This is just one small thing –helping Finlandia students feel connected and cared for in a new way—but it could make all the difference.

Donate a Care Package Now

Questions? Contact Pastor Sarah Semmler-Smith at sarah.semmlersmith@finlandia.edu.