Esabelle Gervasio of Marist Swimming and Diving Earns BSN Sports MAAC Community Spotlight Honors
Edison, N.J. (June 12, 2020) – The BSN Sports MAAC Community Spotlight is a weekly feature of those giving back in an effort to make a difference in their communities. This week, the MAAC would like to highlight rising senior Esabelle Gervasio of the Marist Women’s Swimming & Diving program who has been volunteering twice a week at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
At the food bank, Gervasio helps to sort through frozen, boxed, canned, and fresh food donated by local grocery stores, or purchased from small farms. The food is categorized, packed, weighed, and then shipped. Thousands of pounds of food can be shipped in a day, and during one week, the volunteer team sorted through 20 tons of sweet potatoes.
The food is sent to meet the growing need at local food pantries, where the demand is nearly five times what it normally would be. The Regional Food Bank of Eastern New York is a member of Feeding America and Feeding New York State.
Gervasio has enjoyed her experience, and has high praise for volunteer coordinators Elizabeth Gifford and Ellie Zehnder. “They taught me about appreciating the little things,” Gervasio said. “There is so much to salvage that can be used and nothing you do is too small. They work tirelessly to ensure that each day’s sorting is set up so that it’s not only efficient, but simplistic so that anyone who wants to join can figure it out. Someday I hope to make as big of a mark on my community as these ladies. I can’t wait to continue to work with them throughout the summer!”
Gervasio has excelled as a student-athlete at Marist. This year, she was named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. She has been named ECAC Diver of the Meet in all three of her years at Marist, MAAC Diver of the Meet the last two years, and MAAC Rookie Diver of the Meet as a freshman. A 10-time MAAC Diver of the Week award winner, Gervasio is a four-time Marist Dean’s List honoree, and two-year selection to the conference’s All-Academic Team.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.