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Students and Alumni Clear the Shelves! By Emily Doukogiannis, BA '02 |
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While other students were studying for exams, a few St. Thomas students were working on a campaign to help feed the hungry. St. Thomas University banded together to Clear the shelves! between April 13 and 24 in the fight against hunger in Fredericton. St.Thomas students have been active members of the non-profit organization Meal Exchange. Meal Exchange, which operates on 22 campuses across Canada, encourages civic engagement among university students through the development of solutions to local hunger. Clear the Shelves! is one of three Meal Exchange initiatives St. Thomas University has been a part of this year. This programme targets off-campus students who are moving-out for the summer and have non-perishable food items they don’t want to drag home. During the course of the campaign, St. Thomas students generated a whopping 6000 lbs. of food. While donations were made to a variety of elementary schools, food banks and soup kitchens, student contributions went beyond financial. At the Montgomery Street School, St. Thomas students fed 140 elementary school students breakfast and taught them about the hunger problem in Fredericton and how they could help address it. The impact of Meal Exchange has gone beyond our expectations. One student heard about the programme and anonymously donated $172. The student attached a note, which read: “I heard about Meal Exchange in the courtyard and the story inspired me. I didn’t realize the extent of the hunger problem in Fredericton. I have been saving my change for two years in hopes of going on a trip when I graduate. I thought this was a better use for the money. I am only sorry that I couldn’t give more.” This student is only one of the many people who have generously donated money to alleviate the hunger problem in our community. The
Alumni Association helped make this possible through sponsoring the
pick-up vehicle. |