Ligon Middle School and N.C. State students collaborated to help stop world hunger in the Talley Ballroom Saturday for the sixth annual Martin Luther King Service Challenge.
The Center for Student Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service helped to organize the event where volunteers spent the afternoon discussing various civil rights problems facing the world today. They spent the duration of the day working together to produce upwards of 19,000 packaged meals to be sent off to starving people around the world.
Brigid Belko, a senior in natural resources, helped organize the event. She said it is important to honor all aspects of King’s life.
“Martin Luther King is famous for his actions in the Civil Rights Movement, but he was also very active in the Poor Man’s campaign,” Belko said.
Belko said having students from Ligon Middle School attend was an important step in helping to further King’s goal of service.
“We are looking forward to fostering a service mentality into their lifestyle,” Belko said.
Chris Lett, an AmeriCorps VISTA organizer who also helped organize the event, said it is important to celebrate King’s legacy both through academic learning and service.
“This event focuses on serving those who are impoverished, because before Martin Luther King passed he was heavily involved in the Poor Man’s Campaign,” Lett said. “This event is a continuation of his final push for uplifting those in poverty.”
Tremaine Brittian, a graduate student who volunteered at the event and helped lead a discussion on hunger, said she felt the day of service was a total success.
“I was very impressed with the organization that CSLEPS provided,” Brittian said. “Everyone learned a lot and the video was excellent.”
Mike Giancola, director of CSLEPS, said the addition of the middle school students was an important step in helping young people understand the value of giving back to the community.
“Having people of all different races and ethnicities here working together is really representative of Martin Luther King’s legacy,” Giancola said.
Chad Stutsman, a representative from the Stop Hunger Now organization, said the meals would be used in school lunch feeding programs in Ghana, Bolivia and Tanzania. He said the event was important in fighting one of the major causes of hunger.
“There are two causes for hunger: politics and apathy,” Stutsman said. “We want to target apathy.”
The Ligon Middle School students, who contributed to the day’s conversations, expressed enthusiasm at being able to help the hungry.
“I wanted to help out people less fortunate then us,” a Ligon Middle School student said. “I learned a lot about hunger and how important it is to help out.”
Audrey Wilson, a junior in communication, said she volunteered at the event because it was a way to better the lives of others.
“Every so often people need to be reminded of the importance of serving,” Wilson said. “We’re a community here, and the only way you can make the best of your community is by volunteering.”
