OIT team distributes care kits

Office of Information Technology staff members work across Rutgers campuses, often in highly technical roles, but they also know what it takes to come together for a community service project.

That’s just what OIT team members did recently in assembling and distributing over 180 care kits for the homeless.

From November of 2022 through February of this year, OIT staff donated and collected cash donations and more than 180 drawstring backpacks, 25 thermal blankets, 80 foot and hand warmers, 75 pairs of gloves, and many other items, including winter hats, wool socks, neck warmers, toothbrushes, tissues, and lip balm.

Teams assembled the care kits during the annual OIT All-Hands staff meeting on November 2, 2022, and again in February. The end result? A group of OIT staff members, accompanied by a few family members, handed out more than 180 backpacks with these items on Saturday, February 18, in a Newark park.

“When we do good, we feel good,” said Julie Smith of OIT, one of the organizers of the project. “It feels good to help those in need right within our own community.”