ECSU Hosts Rise Against Hunger Community Event

Last year ECSU hosted the Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event, bringing in 400 volunteers to pack meals for people in Haiti and Zambia. This year’s event, dubbed Rise Against Hunger, hopes to attract more than 500 community volunteers on Nov. 19 at the R.L. Vaughan Center.

World hunger is a serious crisis and Elizabeth City State University has been a partner with the greater Elizabeth City community to help feed people across the globe. On Nov. 19, ECSU is organizing and will host Rise Against Hunger, and is calling on the entire community to participate in this meal packaging event.

Last year, ECSU hosted the event for the organization, Stop Hunger Now, at the R.L. Vaughan Center.  The event was headed up by two local churches, and hundreds of community members gathered to package meals which were sent to hungry people in Haiti and the African nation of Zambia.

Stop Hunger Now is an organization that provides dry goods to be packaged as meals and boxed for shipment. Churches and community organizations hold events, asking people to spend an afternoon assisting with packing the meals.

For past events, churches such as Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, and Christ Episcopal Church, have hosted Stop Hunger Now. However, with growing interest in the annual event, bringing it to the Vaughan Center not only provided plenty of space for hundreds of volunteers, but also community fellowship.

This year, according to Russ Haddad, special assistant to the Chancellor, ECSU was approached by those same churches and was asked to not only host it, but also organize the event, bringing in the hundreds of volunteers anticipated for the afternoon of community service.

“Chancellor Conway decided we could and should take the lead in coordinating this event that brings together all segments of the community,” said Haddad. “It’s an amazing event of fellowship and unity.”

For ECSU’s part, a team has been created called Vikings Care, bringing the university community together to help reach a fundraising goal of $36,000 to package 125,000 meals with 550 volunteers. Last year the event raised $30,000 and packaged 92,000 meals with the help of 400 volunteers.

The event also affords freshmen a chance to be involved through mandatory service learning, a part of their Freshman Seminar classes, said Haddad.

To join the Viking Cares team, or donate funds, please visit http://events.stophungernow.org/Vikings.

But more assistance is needed to meet this year’s goals. For those individual campus organizations and clubs, or community organizations outside of ECSU, Haddad says you can form your own teams by following this LINK.

Rise Against Hunger will happen 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19 in the R.L. Vaughan Center.