Cornucopia, the on-campus food pantry, has partnered with the Community Leadership Program at the Thompson School to collect food baskets for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and their Winter Food Basket Project.

Organizers report requests for assistance have doubled within the last two years. In 2005, the group gave more than 250 baskets to university students, staff and their families.

The brochure announcing the groups efforts reads, “Because Everyone Gets Hungry” and “Have Compassion-Make It Happen.” It urges people to either donate a basket or make a monetary contribution towards buying the items to go into one.

The average holiday basket, with all the trimmings, can cost up to $60.

The goal is to collect at least 75 Thanksgiving baskets. Food suggestions include canned cranberry sauce, muffin or corn bread mix, canned and fresh vegetables, yams, two boxes of pie crust, two cans of pie filling, a bag of potatoes, one or two boxes of stuffing, one or two boxes or bags of rice and a gift certificate for a turkey or a ham.

During the weeks of Nov. 4 to Nov. 18, a campus-wide food drive will take place, with some of the donations going to Cornucopia’s food pantry. Those collections sites include

Gregg Hall, the Thompson School, the Waysmeet Center of the United Campus Ministry, Office of Community Service and Learning, Health Services, Campus Recreation, Kendall Hall, all three dining halls and the Wildcatessen, Philbrook Café, Coffee Office Convenience Store and the Gables Convenience Store.

For collection information regarding the Thanksgiving baskets, contact associate professor Kate Hanson, Barton Hall, 2-1064 or mkh@cisunix.unh.edu.