POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 17, 2013) - This semester the Vassar women's tennis team sponsored an on-campus food drive and served dinner at a local soup kitchen in an effort to assist Poughkeepsie residents in need. For the second consecutive year, the team members collected over 185 food items and monetary donations to contribute to the Dutchess Outreach Food Pantry that is located in Poughkeepsie.

The team reached out to Vassar faculty, staff and students by placing donation boxes in departmental offices and also requested that participants in the team's community outreach event, Tennis Night At Vassar College, donate non-perishable food items to the food drive. The team also served dinner at the Lunch Box that is operated by Dutchess Outreach as well.

Dutchess Outreach provides support for the needy in the Poughkeepsie area community by striving to meet the basic needs of low-income people when no other resources are available to them and to assist them in becoming self-sufficient. The agency also promotes community awareness of hunger and other social problems and urges improvement in the response to human needs.

“The tennis team is pleased to give back to the local community and finds gratification in reaching out to those in need,” said head coach Kathy Campbell. "Community service is one way for our students to connect with the Poughkeepsie community and team members are eager to serve.”

Last year the team sponsored the food drive, served at the Lunch Box and raised money for the local Special Olympics by participating in the Polar Plunge, an event in which the team members secured sponsors who donated money for them to jump into a Fishkill reservoir on a cold February day.