30 Days of Giving 2017 – Day 22: Addressing Food Insecurity On and Around SUNY Geneseo

Students at SUNY Geneseo spend a lot of time and energy in community service and volunteerism efforts to help those in need. The Food Security Advocates (FSA) is a unique student led group that partners with Geneseo’s Center for Community and the Office of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement to address food insecurity on campus and in the Geneseo community. FSA is a group of passionate and committed individuals who seek to build upon their successes to responsibly and effectively address food insecurity and food waste on campus.

The efforts of the FSA include two end of semester food drives in the residence halls and College Union which collect non-perishable items to be distributed to local schools and youth programs that serve low income children and families. The organization also works with the Geneseo-Groveland food pantry to deliver collected food to families in need in the village.

Each year, the FSA is also heavily involved in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. This year leading up to the MLK Day of Service, FSA made food they have been helping to collect available to students who are staying on campus during breaks as a result of recent changes to DACA. Leadership and members of the FSA play a large role in planning and implementing the annual MLK Day of Service, helping to coordinate the packaging of all the food collected during the winter campus food drive.

The FSA is one of the many organizations on campus that embrace the spirit of giving that SUNY Geneseo is known for; their actions illustrate the compassion and belief in working collectively towards common goals.

30 Days of Giving 2017:

1. Day 1: Shopping with a Smile
2. Day 2: Erie Community College Cook-Off for Kidneys
3. Day 3: Stony Brook Medicine Helps in Puerto Rico
4. Day 4: A Day of Service at Onondaga CC
5. Day 5: New Paltz Students Make a Difference
6. Day 6: Buffalo State College Dares to Care
7. Day 7: Niagara County CC Students Lend A Hand for Thanksgiving
8. Day 8: Old Westbury Helps Haiti
9. Day 9: A Day of Service at SUNY Potsdam
10. Day 10: Helping Animals at Hudson Valley Community College
11. Day 11: FIT Students Help the Homeless
12. Day 12: Morrisville Athletes Go Local For Service
13. Day 13: SUNY Poly Gives Back Throughout the Region
14. Day 14: SUNY Oswego Honors Those Battling Ovarian Cancer
15. Day 15: Brockport Students Volunteer at Thanksgiving
16. Day 16: SUNY ESF Sends Acorns to Action
17. Day 17: Doors Open at the Columbia-Greene Community College Giving Closet
18. Day 18: Monroe Community College Helps Walk for Water
19. Day 19: SUNY Cortland Supports Crop Hunger Walk
20. Day 20: Making Music at Farmingdale State to Help the Hungry
21. Day 21: Increasing Food Security at Dutchess Community College
22. Day 22: Addressing Food Insecurity On and Around SUNY Geneseo
23. Day 23: Westchester Community College Plays the UnHunger Games
24. Day 24: Binghamton University Builds University Assisted Community Schools
25. Day 25: Mohawk Valley Community College Gives Back To Their Community
26. Day 26: SUNY Oneonta Students Help Area Children Learn
27. Day 27: Rockland Community College Comes Together to Aid Puerto Rico
28. Day 28: Empire State College Donates to Caribbean Relief
29. Day 29: Schenectady County Community College Students Provide Support to Foster Families
30. Day 30: Raising Guiding Eyes at SUNY Delhi

Written by Sarah Petrak

Sarah Petrak is a student assistant with the Office of Communications and New Media for SUNY System Administration. She is a studying Public Policy at the University at Albany.