ORANGEBURG, SC (courtesy claflin.edu) — For the third year, Claflin University is collaborating with Youth Service America and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Filling Station through the Packin’ and Snackin’ program. The program helps to provide students in OCSD5, who struggle with finding meals on the weekends, with individual “snack packs” containing prepackaged foods.
“Believe it or not, a large percentage of students go home from District 5 with nothing to eat over the weekend,” said Carolyn Snell, assistant to the vice president of student development and director of career development at Claflin University. “A number of these students are dealing with a hunger issue, then they can’t perform well, and most of these students are students of color.”
Claflin students, faculty and staff donated food for the cause. The food donated for the snack packs consisted of canned goods, ramen noodles, fruit snacks, and other foods that do not require the students to use a stove to heat them.
Once all the food has been collected and weighed, it will be delivered to OCSD5’s warehouse and divided into the packs that are given out each Friday.
Program Coordinator for Service Learning and Community Service at Claflin University, Jabian Cooper said the university’s goal was to donate at least 900 pounds of food; however, with the support of the Claflin University family, 1,321.51 pounds of food (1,797 items) were collected instead. Cooper, Kendall McCleod, project leader; and Tonyetta McDaniel, assistant program coordinator and administrative assistant, organized this year’s collection of donations. There were 202 student and six faculty volunteers.