Students interested in seeing the world while lending a helping hand can apply for a spot in the N.C. State chapter of Nourish International’s newest service project.
Nourish International, founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003, is a service organization with chapters at over 20 campuses nationwide, according to the program website. The N.C. State chapter of Nourish International was founded in 2005. This summer, N.C. State’s Nourish International branch is seeking students to travel to Quito, Ecuador, to participate in the chapter’s first international service project.
The mission of the organization is to “eradicate poverty by engaging students and empowering communities,” according to its mission statement. Nourish International works to supply college students across the nation with the necessary capital to conduct community development projects both domestically and around the world.
According to Gini Gregg, co-president of the N.C. State chapter of Nourish International, members raise money throughout the school year for use on international projects. The local chapter’s main project is Pancakes for Poverty, where students make and sell pancakes bi-weekly at Wolf Plaza.
Gregg, a senior in business administration and international studies, became interested in international service after a trip to Belize several summers ago. She was able to get involved with Nourish International thanks to the recommendation of Bob Patterson, a crop science professor who knew of her interest in non-profit organizations.
Nathan Sink, junior in political science and economics, said the organization is doing great things to alleviate poverty worldwide.
“At the core of our purpose is the realization that the cycle of poverty is only furthered by short-term aid solutions implemented on a long-term agenda,” Sink said.
Sink also became involved with the organization via Patterson. Sink has been the director of international projects for the local chapter since his freshman year.
Being a nationwide organization, Nourish International thrives on interaction between its constituent chapters, according to Gregg.
“There is an annual summer conference to which all chapters are encouraged to send representatives,” Gregg said. “Additionally, schools with smaller clubs are encouraged to partner with other chapters in funding and participating in a summer project.”
This summer, the chapter will pair up with the University of Virginia’s chapter on the Ecuador trip. Nourish International’s goal on that project is to propel social change at the grassroots level, Gregg said.
“This summer, we are partnering with students from UVA to build greenhouses for schools in the outskirts of Quito,” Gregg said. “The produce from the greenhouses will be used to enhance students’ diets and any surplus will be sold to supplement the cost of education.”
Gregg said that while this trip is mainly focused on service, there will also be time for students to experience the country as tourists. Participating students are also expected to help the chapter raise funds for the trip.
“We hope to recruit a minimum of five students,” Gregg said.
The trip will be bankrolled mostly by the funds that the chapter raises prior to the trip, according to Gregg. Students will be responsible for the cost of their plane tickets and meals, however.
Interested students can attend an informational session in 322 Daniels Hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Gregg said she hopes students will gain as much as they give to the trip.
“We hope the students that participate will bring back a passion for sustainable development and an understanding of global social issues like poverty and hunger,” Gregg said.
According to Sink, the impact of the trip will reach much farther than the greenhouses the team builds in Ecuador.
“Students will bring back not only cultural lessons and an expanded world view, but also an understanding of how small-scale, well-developed projects built around the principles of Nourish International can begin a change in the developing world,” Sink said.