OKMULGEE – The timer was set at five minutes for each student group to browse through essential items at the College of Muscogee Nation’s fourth annual Day of Giving event on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The event gives away free essential items for students who live in the dorms. This year’s event was hosted in the STEM Building auditorium and featured long tables of toiletries, snacks, and other everyday essential items. Brand new clothes like hoodies, shirts, and hats were offered as well. The event was hosted by Este Emetv, the Giving to People committee, a group of CMN staff members that seek ways to give back to the student body.
CMN Health and Wellness Administrative Assistant Tevin Phillips (Mvskoke) said the event has grown exponentially since 2021. The first Day of Giving event was held when CMN Security officers identified a need for household items among students. That event saw donations of pillows, food and lamps. In 2024, Hompetva Torketv, Raven’s Pantry, was established to provide students with free food. This allows students to have snacks and meals on hand in the dorms during evenings and weekends when the campus cafeteria is closed. The Day of Giving event now gives out hygiene products.
“We have some students who are scared because they have hygiene insecurity,” Phillips said. “We encourage them to come here and get whatever they need. And in the last two hours they can come up and get whatever else they need that’s left over.”
Due to the event’s popularity, students were placed in groups depending on the time they arrived. They were then given five minutes to pick up a tote bag and fill it with whatever essential items they needed. Once it got down to the last two hours of the event, students were invited to come back and pick up whatever items were left over.
During the event, New Beginnings church provided hotdogs, popcorn and caramel apples for students to enjoy while they waited for their group to start browsing through items. The church routinely partners with the college to serve students at the Day of Giving.
CMN Student Ethan Battiest (Mvskoke) is a casino gaming major who attended the Day of Giving. Battiest was able to pick up Tide pods, sweat shirts, socks, and towels. He is currently in his fourth semester at the college and enjoys seeing his friends at the Day of Giving.
“It means a lot. I feel like it brings the community together and it helps people out,” Battiest said. “This is a great environment. Since this is a small college, you get to know everybody.”
CMN student Madeline Sanders (Mvskoke) is in the Mvskoke Language Apprenticeship program. She stopped by the Day of Giving and found plenty of useful items including a jacket, toilet paper, shaving cream, and snacks. Sanders admitted she had just learned about the event shortly before she arrived. Nevertheless, she was grateful for the opportunity to replenish items for her dorm.
“I didn’t know they had this event until maybe five minutes ago,” Sanders said. “It was really cool to know they want to help support the students, especially this time of year. We’re all just being students in school. Sometimes we need a refresh of these items. It’s really nice that they were here to support us and provide those things for us.”
CMN also provides the health shelf, a program that provides hygiene and health products to students year round. According to Phillips, the items that run out of stock the fastest are toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. Phillips and his team take in suggestions to ensure the shelves are stocked with items that students can use.
“Seeing the students’ faces, getting to know them, encouraging them to come in and get what they need. They’re really happy at the end.” Phillips said. “It feels like a big community here at the college. We take care of one another.”
Raven’s Pantry and the Health Shelf accept donations year round. Every five items donated will enter the donor into a drawing. Prizes for the drawing have included ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts and beaded items made by CMN Health and Wellness Case Manager Lisa Bear. Donations may be dropped off at the college, located at 2170 Raven Circle in Okmulgee. For more information, call 918-549-2800.
