With the start of November, Second Year Council presented the Hoos Thankful Fest last Thursday on the Lawn.
The fest involved multiple organizations working to combat hunger in the local community and around the world. Students donated items such as peanut butter, canned food, pasta and personal care products, which will be given to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Second-year College student Megan Helbling, the community service chair for the Council, said Hoos Thankful Fest was organized to help the community and educate students about these organizations.
“There’s a huge problem of homelessness and hunger in Charlottesville and globally and we felt like there [are] a lot of different CIOs that are targeted towards that and that are really passionate about solving those issues,” Helbling said.
Some of the organizations present were The Haven, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, Challah for Hunger, Project Peanut Butter and Green Grounds. Along with donating, students had the opportunity to learn more about these organizations.
Second-year College student and Council Treasurer Brett Curtis said one of the main goals of the event was reminding people they can work to combat hunger throughout the whole year, instead of just during the traditional holiday food drives.
“These problems don’t just face people for a two to three month span of the year,” Curtis said.
Students had the chance to learn about CIOs they may have never heard of before, such as Project Peanut Butter, a CIO fighting child malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Third-year College student and PPB President Suchita Chharia, and second-year College student and PPB Vice President Caroline Snead, said they saw the Hoos Thankful Fest as an opportunity to get their CIO’s name out while also working towards a cause.
“Hunger is a big problem in Charlottesville,” Chharia said. “One in six people are hungry in the community, so to do a drive to really support and help our own community is something very powerful.”
In addition to University CIOs, Charlottesville community organizations also attended the event. People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry attended the fest to educate students on how they can serve in the Charlottesville community.
“Particularly this age group, like student age, they can bring a lot of energy to what you do and a lot of enthusiasm, and that’s always very important,” Program Director Jayson Whitehead said. “The homeless appreciate that type of involvement.”
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