LSU Campus Life kicked off Family Weekend Friday with Tigers Tackle Hunger, an event where students, their families and other volunteers worked together to pack meals for the community.
Campus Life partnered with Kids Around the World to organize the event. Daniel Torres, event manager for Kids Around the World, said the organization’s mission is to impact kid’s lives by showing them God’s love.
“We do that through food, story and play,” Torres said.
Kids Around the World provides nourishment for children with food, teaches them about God with Bible stories and enhances play by refurbishing or building playgrounds, Torres explained.
Leadership and Civic Engagement coordinator and Volunteer LSU advisor Ifágbémisólá Bámigbálà-Arèsà said about 450 people worked together at the event and exceeded their goal of 100,000 meals.
Bámigbálà-Arèsà emphasized the importance of students serving and being leaders.
“I think an essential part of leadership is serving others and being a part of the community, and LSU offers so much in terms of leadership or internship opportunities or even studying abroad,” Bámigbálà-Arèsà said.
Tigers Tackle Hunger volunteer positions included box runners, ingredient runners, table captains, packing the food into boxes and even a spirit squad. Each position had a role in making this event happen.
When the tables ran out of ingredients, ingredient runners like Brady Davis, an economics junior, supplied more. Davis decided to volunteer to help those less fortunate.
“I’m lucky enough to have any kind of food I want, whereas some people are just lucky to have any food they can get,” Davis said.
This event called for more than just volunteers to pack the food. The spirit squad’s job was to keep up morale and ensure that volunteers were having a good time. Psychology junior Makayla Phelps was an ingredient runner at Tigers Tackle Hunger last year and noticed the spirit squad having fun, so she decided to join them this year.
“It feels good to give back to the community, and I think everybody should have that experience of helping others,” Phelps said.
Students’ family members joined in to help as well. Tiffany Carter, cousin of a LSU freshman, helped pack meals into the boxes. Her favorite part was seeing how people came together to do something good.
“It’s a Friday morning. You could be anywhere or doing something for the weekend, but you’re here trying to help,” Carter said.
Some of the meals packed at the event went to the Global Community Center and the LSU Student Food Pantry, but the Tigers also tackled hunger outside of Baton Rouge. Meals also went to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Lafayette and New Orleans.
