Community Rallies Around Local College To Provide Food In Wake Of Illness

COLLEGEVILLE, PA -- After shutting down its food preparation facilities after more than 100 students fell sick with an unknown illness, Ursinus College received some much needed help from the local business community Thursday.

Several businesses, including Wawa, Wegmans, and the Collegeville Italian Bakery, are working with the school to provide breakfast and lunch Thursday.

And on Wednesday night, five area restaurants welcomed Ursinus students for dinner: the Collegeville Italian Bakery, The Pizza Stop, Rocco’s, Franco’s Pizza Family Restaurant and Marzella’s Pizzeria.

It’s not clear how long dining halls will be shut down as it is completely sanitized, and school and county health officials investigate the illness and attempt to determine its source. It is possibly a norovirus, and symptoms have included prolonged vomiting. They seem to diminish after around 12 to 18 hours.

More than 20 students were taken to the emergency room as of Thursday morning, as the number of infected students continued to rise throughout the day Wednesday.

“Ursinus’ first priority is the health and well-being of our students,” said President Brock Blomberg in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with officials from the Department of Health and follow their recommendations. In addition, Ursinus couldn’t be more grateful for the outpouring of support it has received from the surrounding community to help us support our students.”

The college is open and classes were held on a normal schedule on Thursday.

“I encourage any students or staff experiencing symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain to be particularly careful about dehydration and to seek medical care,” said Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Interim Medical Director of the Montgomery County Health Department. “The best way to prevent the spread of GI illness is to practice good hand-hygiene and to thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces in common areas.”