Story and Photos by Delaney Rohrs | Contributing Writer
Though every other court of the Rec Center Gym on campus was filled with intramural basketball games in full swing on Thursday, the last court all the way to the right, hosted students who were working hard to pack meals for local food pantries at the ‘Big Event’.
For the first time since Covid, the Student Government Association partnered with Meals of Hope to welcome back their annual Big Event, a service opportunity that allows students to help out those in their community.
This year’s event focused on fighting food scarcity by inviting volunteers to help pack meals for those in need.
The goal for the event was initially to pack 7,500 meals but volunteers worked together to surpass this goal by packing over 8,000 by the time the event had ended.
Student Government Philanthropic Coordinator, Antonio Dodson, said he is “really excited to bring the Big Event back to students.”
Volunteers worked in an assembly-line to measure, pack, and seal pasta provided by the non-profit which will be delivered to MTSU’s Food Pantry and Nourish Food Bank.
In previous years, the event has partnered students with various nonprofits out into the community to volunteer on site. However, this year’s Big Event looked a little different.
After surveying students about what ways they could improve the event, the Director of Student Organizations and Service, Jackie Victory said they “found students preferred an event that was more accessible and on campus.”
“They can stop by and pack three or four bags and go to class,” she said.
Dodson said the organization has rebranded but is still “[focusing] on bringing students together with the community” so that “students can see in a really real and impactful way that their service they can do on campus will impact not just the people on campus but people in our local community as well.”
To contact Lifestyles Editor Ethan Pickering, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News
