New students and graduates from Trinity Western University (TWU) Richmond campus received banana bread, cranberries cookies and other homemade baked goods from faculty members in this difficult time.
Baking and blessing, a program initiated in the spring by staff members from TWU, provided students isolated indoors due to COVID-19 with a variety of baked goods to help them stay fit and feel connected.
The baked goods also come with a greeting card, said Vera Xiong, a student life coordinator with TWU. And students who received baking were paired up with faculty staff and had a catch-up via a Zoom call.
Xiong’s cell phone was flooded with texts from students since the program was launched.
“Many new students who haven’t been to our school building yet received baking from us. They messaged me, saying they are so happy to receive good food and individual care. Graduates also texted me saying they don’t want to graduate. They want to stay. This feedback is encouraging for me,” said Xiong.
The most rewarding part of the program isn’t only positive feedback but also about students who are keen to contribute back and find their identity through the journey, added Xiong.
“Overall, we did four baking and blessing sessions since April and the last session we had students jumped in to help. Many students prepared lots of delicious bakeries for 15 staff members for the last session in June. Students feel individual attention is important,” said Vera, adding that one student even prepared more than 20 pounds of bread.
Xiong said the effort has brought staff and students much closer together.
