Twelve Fresno State nursing students were honored by the Madera County Board of Supervisors and Madera Mayor Steve Mindt for assisting individuals and families who suffered as a result of the winter freeze.

The students were memorialized in a proclamation and received certificates for a donation project that they established with the Madera County Public Health Department. The program challenged the community to contribute food and goods to support the efforts of the Madera Rescue Mission.

Patricia Devlin and other Fresno State nursing students contributed by getting their families and friends involved and have continued to help the Rescue Mission.

“I had three carloads of clothes and we had over 2,000 articles. In addition, there were about 1,000 food items donated,” said Devlin.

Clifford Mullins, executive director of the Rescue Mission, said donations that came in by April 30 will be matched dollar for dollar and $1 for every pound of food by Alan Shaw Feinstein’s Million-Dollar Challenge. For the past 10 years, philanthropist Feinstein has put up $1 million to match the efforts of community food banks across the nation up to $50,000 each.

“The donations took care of a lot of food. We’re feeding about 10,000 people,” explained Mullins.

“This need doesn’t end,” Devlin said in encouraging the donations to continue.

For more information, please contact Brandie Campbell at: 559.278.7940.