On Friday, I joined other Rose Scholars as well as an amazing community of other Cornell students (undergrad and graduates), Ithaca College students, and Ithaca residents at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Ithaca to participate in the “Feed My Starving Children” service event. We prepared and packaged “manna packs,” which were filled with rice, soy, vitamins, and vegetables to supply children in impoverished areas with nutritious meals that would support their physical and mental development.

I was so impressed with how well organized the event was. Stations were set up for scooping rice, soy, vitamins, and vegetables into plastic bags through a funnel. The bags were then weighed, sealed, and packed in boxes. Each person had a job and the system was very efficient. Every time a box was filled with the manna-packs the team would cheer, creating an excited and positive atmosphere. The church also played upbeat music. I was in charge of scooping the vitamins and the vegetables into the bags, and my arms were actually sore at the end of the event but I could barely notice– the amazing people and constant reminder of why we were doing this kept everyone energetic and working hard.

I think we ended up packaging enough meals to feed around 96 children one meal a day for an entire year. (My numbers may be a little off.) It was an overall amazing experience with a wonderful community for a worthwhile cause!