Three St. Thomas organizations are working together to organize a Feed My Starving Children volunteer opportunity, but logistical and funding issues associated with bringing mobile packing to campus might require other arrangements.
The non-profit’s MobilePack program brings packing stations to colleges, churches and businesses. Undergraduate Student Government, National Residence Hall Honorary and Student Legacy planned to host the mobile packing event on campus with the goal of assembling 100,000 meals for people in developing countries.
Senior Alex Johnson, president of NRHH, said the trio hope to host the MobilePack event in late April in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center field house; however, he said the location isn’t ideal for the program.
“We’ve kind of hit a roadblock right now. We’re trying to work through it, but we don’t know if we’re going to be able to or not,” Johnson said.
Because meals cost 22 cents each and the goal is to pack 100,000, Feed My Starving Children estimated the event will cost between $22,000 and $25,000. Johnson said the three organizations would need to come up with the money through fundraising.
“Targeting the undergraduate population probably isn’t going to get us the $22,000, so we’re still working out some of those kinks,” Johnson said.
In addition to meeting the financial requirement, St. Thomas would need to provide a space to host the event. Johnson said he the organizations’ leaders hope to have the event in the field house but are still working on the logistics.
“We’re really concerned about doing it in the AARC and potentially ruining the floor in the field house. It would take forklifts to get the massive amounts of food in there,” Johnson said. “First of all, we don’t know if it’s forklift accessible, and getting a forklift out onto the floor just isn’t possible. We’re looking into other alternatives.”
The AARC also doesn’t provide direct and easy access to dishwashers and sinks, which are necessary for a mobile packing event.
Johnson said the University of Minnesota hosted a MobilePack event, and that although the program is advertised on Feed My Starving Children’s website, he isn’t sure how many times partners are actually able participate in such a large volunteer venture.
“It’s a huge undertaking, so (Feed My Starving Children) probably doesn’t do it very often, but it’s something they are very willing to do and excited to do, but $22,000 and having the facility to do what it takes to do mobile packing with Feed My Starving Children, it isn’t always viable for most people,” Johnson said.
Senior Sean Ness, USG vice president, said if the organizations can’t bring Feed My Starving Children to St. Thomas, the clubs would provide buses instead so students can make meals at a facility.
“I’m not sure if it’s going to happen—bringing it to campus—but we’re still going to offer that opportunity for people to go off campus and still volunteer with them,” Ness said.
Ness said the off-campus option is what the organizations are leaning toward.
Director of Campus Life Margaret Cahill said if MobilePack doesn’t work, bringing students to Feed My Starving Children is a great alternative.
“We can sign up for shifts and take students over to do it still as a community effort. That’s what students have shared and I think it’s wonderful,” Cahill said. “The intent is there— the desire to still want to be helpful and to serve.”
Ness said making a global impact is the overall objective and is line with the Tommie citizen initiative, one of three USG chose to focus on for the academic year.
“The merit behind the whole event is still going to be going on. It’s just going to be happening in a different manner,” Ness said.
Stephanie Dodd can be reached at dodd0474@stthomas.edu.