Warrior Serve: Students helped deliver 1,350 fresh food boxes to aging communities
By Isabela Placencia
On Sept. 21, 2026, Rochester Christian University teamed up with Planet Harvest, Thrive Global, Eli Lilly and other local organizations for its Warrior Serve; an initiative to deliver 1,350 fresh food boxes alongside resources for understanding Alzheimer’s.
The boxes contained about 12 pounds of vegetables such as cucumbers and collard greens, salmon pouches and sources for understanding healthy brain aging. RCU students worked alongside Oakland Church’s Love Has No Limits initiative and Schoenherr Roofing in multiple communities: Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills and Pontiac.
Altogether, students were expected to arrive by 8:30 a.m for check-in and then a rally took place at 9:00 a.m. At 10 p.m., teams were assembled for take-off to their assigned duties. Most of which entailed loading and unloading boxes.
Some students got to deliver boxes to older adults and interact with them personally.
Christian Preston, a pre-med sophomore, said his favorite part was “seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces and how they were excited for the food.” Preston went to Avon Towers, an independent living apartment building for people aged 62 and older.
One other location was the Baldwin House of Pontiac, yet another independent living facility for adults 62 and older. “Today was very special and wonderful,” said Gigi Montaglia, a sophomore education major. Besides delivering boxes, she said, “We had the opportunity to
pray with people.”
Overall, most of the older adult communities were independent living, meaning the residents are self-reliant and do not need as much help. This means a lot of them cook, too. As a result, the boxes given to them were of great assistance and fulfilled their grocery needs.
By 12 p.m., everyone came back to the Alumni Center for Jet’s Pizza, dessert, and good conversations about what everyone accomplished– bringing smiles to people who needed them most.
The Dean of Students, Vance Jackson, said, “Students had a fantastic time; they just seemed to jump in.” Jackson continued, “We’re so grateful for all the staff [and] faculty that took this journey with us.”
Finally, Jackson said, “Thank you, RCU [and] we’re looking forward to next year.”
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