TWIN FALLS — Initially discussed back in November, the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) reached out to Chobani to discuss the need for new laptops for their students. Since both organizations have a long-standing relationship, Chobani decided to donate 50 laptops valued at $25,000.
The refurbished laptops are going towards the school's student loaner program. Now, students taking hybrid or online courses will have an increased opportunity to borrow the device.
Chobani and CSI have been partners since 2012, so it was a natural fit when the university asked for help.
"It was one of those classic, where you hear of a need and CSI had put out that there was a need. They had a loaner program for their students and there was a need for some computers," said Brandon Dansie, senior director of human resources for Chobani.
The donation came at a crucial time because it will increase CSI's inventory of laptops. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students may be struggling financially and rely on courses online where computers are required to complete the course. If they do not have the finances to purchase their own laptop, they will now have access to one without cause for concern.
"Students like many of us have been disrupted, and they're now needing to adjust, and that includes a lot of changes with IT support, so we really felt like it was a nice fit," said Dansie.
Chobani has been able to help multiple local organizations throughout this pandemic. They hope this donation will be able to take some of the stress for certain students.
"We know that there is students who are looking to better themselves," said Dansie. "Members of the community, they're looking to better themselves, and so for us, it's significant to be able to take resources that we have, donate that, and allow somebody to take that and then get the education that they need."
