Helping the less fortunate is at the heart of the Marist mission, and for more than 30 years, the college community has demonstrated its commitment to service each November through Hunger Awareness Month.  Led by Campus Ministry, Hunger Awareness Month is a series of events that focuses attention on the problem of hunger locally, nationally, and globally, with the aim of raising money to help feed the hungry.  Last year, the Marist community raised $6,300 for local food banks and collected 122 boxes of food for needy families in the Hudson River Valley.

Campus Minister Brother Michael Flanigan, FMS heads up the planning for Hunger Awareness Month.  “Each year, I’m so inspired by the incredible generosity of Marist students.  Hundreds of students volunteer for Hunger Awareness Month, and they really understand the Marist Brothers’ mission of service.”  He added, “I am simply amazed by the energy, time, and support they provide to this project.”

This year’s Hunger Awareness Month activities at Marist are listed below:

•   Residence Hall Food Collection, November 7-9.  Students from the Zeta Psi fraternity will collect donated canned goods from residence halls and bring them to the Chapel.
•   Hunger Walk, November 8.  Begins at 12 p.m. on the Champagnat Green.  From there, Marist students, faculty, and staff members will follow a route across campus and out onto Route 9 before returning to Champagnat.
•   Buck Hunger, November 9-10.  Students will be stationed in academic buildings across campus to collect funds for Bread for the World; Dutchess Outreach; Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence, Massachusetts; and Guadalupe Regional Middle School in Brownsville, Texas.
•   Campus Food Collection, November 10.  Students, including volunteers from Marist’s football team, will collect non-perishable food donations from offices across campus and bring them to the Chapel.
•   Hunger Meal, November 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Murray Student Center Cabaret. An “educational” meal intended to demonstrate the distribution of wealth and food in the world and how many people can afford to eat only rice.  Tickets will be sold in Donnelly Hall and at the Dining Hall from November 13-15.  Tickets will also be available at the door on November 16.  Faculty and staff, $5; students, $3. Participants will receive a ticket to be served either a First-, Second-, or Third-World meal.
•   Trip to Lazarus House Ministries, November 17-19.  Students will travel to Lawrence, Massachusetts for a weekend service trip.  Lazarus House is a non-profit providing food, shelter, clothing and other support services to needy families in the Merrimack Valley.
•   Petition Day, November 20.  Student volunteers will be stationed at both sides of the Dining Hall asking fellow students on the Meal Plan to sign a petition to stop hunger.  Sodexo will donate $1 for every signature, up to $1,000.
•   Food Blessing, November 12 during Mass.
•   Food Distribution, Week of November 13.  Food donations will be delivered to Dutchess Outreach.