More than 450 volunteers are expected to package 60,000 meals that will be sent to the West African country of Burkina Faso as part of Marymount University’s Saints Serve Day on Friday, Aug. 28. The annual back-to-campus service day for students, faculty, staff and alumni will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Lee Center’s Rec gym on the university’s main campus.
Marymount is teaming up with Helping Hands, a partnership between Catholic Relief Services and Stop Hunger Now that prepares meals of fortified rice and soy for people in developing countries suffering from food shortages and famine.
Emily Munn, a junior from Freehold, New Jersey, said the many opportunities for service at the school leave students with a great feeling inside.
“It is more powerful than just buying a new pair of shoes, going to a gym, receiving an ‘A’ on an exam or getting more than 100 likes on Instagram pictures,” the criminal justice major said. “Serving allows you to make a difference and change lives, whether it is holding the door for someone or packaging meals for the people of Burkina Faso.”
The landlocked country in West Africa is one of the poorest in the world, having suffered from cycles of drought and flooding that have led to widespread food shortages. Meal recipients will include children, young girls who have run away from arranged marriages, widows, the elderly, sick and those with disabilities.
Stop Hunger Now will truck in food and supplies and run the Marymount event. Catholic Relief Services will deliver the meals to warehouses in Burkina Faso, where local partners serve vulnerable populations.
For more information on Saints Serve Day, contact Lynn Selby at (443) 842-0594 or by email. Learn about Helping Hands at HelpingHands.crs.org.
