On Friday, Sept. 27, Saint Louis University took a stand against world hunger. For the past year, the Disability Services Club has been working with a not-for-profit organization called Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). This organization “strives to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world by helping to instill compassion in people to hear and respond to the cries of those in need.”
Every year about 3.5 million innocent lives perish due to starvation. The Disability Services Club sponsored an event, Fast to Feed, to help FMSC obtain their goal. As hundreds of students mill through the Bush Student Center each day, on average they will pay $8 for a meal.
“As people walk through to get food for lunch, we will be asking them to donate the money they would normally spend on lunch and have that money go towards feeding the hungry,” DSC Vice President Elizabeth Puzniak said. “An $8 lunch will provide a whopping 36 meals.”
Missing one meal could mean the difference between getting any food at all for a child. This year, the DSC attempted to raise around $22,000 to help starving kids all over the world.
Puzniak also noted that the event was aimed at recruitment for DSC’s Make A Difference Day Event (MADD).
MADD, an annual event, is well regarded amongst SLU students. Over 3,000 students participated in the day-long service last year. The day will begin with a Kick-Off Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the Hermann Stadium. After, groups of volunteers will be spread out to local non-profits, schools, neighborhoods and homes for a day of service.
One of the options will be the FMSC event in Reinert hall. The goal of the event is to pack over 100,000 meals in six hours to be sent to over 70 countries.
“I think we should all take a moment to give back. We could be saving someone’s life,” Chanel Alorsan, a freshman at SLU, said. “It is not about just showing up to something because you have to, it is about wanting to make a difference.”
The Disability Services Club maintains a wider range of focus than nutritional disabilities. They aim to provide a wide range of services, and on Oct. 7 the group will be sponsoring Ability Olympics in the Quad.
During the Ability Olympics the DSC will host various activities, each of which are meant to portray a unique disability. The group is aiming to provide both a fun and educational environment for developing a better understanding of what it means to have a disability.
