Excitement and enthusiasm were apparent in the words spoken by Syeisha Byrd.

‘I’ve seen it time and time again. One person can make a difference, you can always help,’ said Byrd, the director of the Office of Community Engagement at Hendricks Chapel.

More than 20 students and faculty came together to do just that. The group packaged more than 20,000 meals to be sent to 76 countries around the world.

The food packaging event was created by Better Together Syracuse through the organization Stop Hunger Now. The two partnered up as a part of President Barack Obama’s Interfaith Challenge, in which he implored higher institutions and colleges to participate in more community service and civic engagement.

Stop Hunger Now is a Raleigh, N.C.-based international hunger relief agency that has been fighting hunger for 13 years, according to its website. Since 1998, the group has hosted events throughout the nation that encourage food distribution and donations.

The meal packaging program began in 2005. Each meal costs only 25 cents to produce. It stores and transports easily, maintaining a shelf life of five years. The main initiative of the organization is to continue partnering with international groups to ship and distribute meals. The food goes to lunch programs in schools across the world where poverty exists. As a result, children are fed and educated.

‘I looked up the organization and the initiative about how education matches up with food, and it seemed like a great idea,’ said Candice Frank, a sophomore television, radio and film major. ‘It’s just great to hear a project about reaching out with the whole domino effect of how education numbers go up and poverty numbers go down.’

Volunteers surrounded 10 long tables, packaging dehydrated high-protein meals. There were runners, funnel captains and pourers, each with a designated assignment. They stacked boxes of food on the stage, and the volunteers worked quickly to maintain a quick pace. Students of all years and classes volunteered.

‘We could be doing anything like playing basketball, but we’re all here giving back,’ Byrd said. ‘It gives the students at SU an opportunity to learn about students who are hungry and puts it in their face instead of just hearing about it.’

As Michael Jackson songs spurted out of the black speakers from backstage, the pourers dumped food in the funnel as the funnel captains caught the food in the packaging. Runners finished the transition by running the packages to be boxed up.

Brianna Carrier, a member of the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, said she enjoys participating in philanthropic events like this one. Carrier, a senior geography and policy studies major, hopes to continue giving back to the community through her work at Teach for America in the fall.

‘I love giving back to the community. I’ve done it for all four years, and I feel like we all can give something back,’ Carrier said. ‘It’s definitely something I want to do in the future.’

Adi Azlan, a second-year graduate student studying telecommunication and network management, said he feels he has a calling for service activities.

‘I just want to give back,’ he said. ‘The best part is getting together and helping out the community as well as supporting the program and helping fight the hunger.’

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Published on February 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm