By Samantha Berkhead
News Editor
A group of St. Bonaventure students recently created a movement to raise funds for anti-hunger charities called Cans For Change.
Its goal?
Feeding a four-person family for 30 days through the Community Angels of Allegany County, a group dedicated to helping people in need throughout Western New York.
An assignment for the students’ Good Life class spurred the movement, according to senior group member Shakeema Funchess.
“Our teacher (Matt King, visiting assistant professor of psychology) came to us and said, ‘I want you guys to do something that will make a change in the world for good,’ Funchess said. “We started thinking about things that we could do, especially within the time frame we had, which was a little over a month. We decided a lot of families need help during this recession, and even though jobs are coming back, a lot of people are still struggling.”
The students decided to work alongside the Accord Corporation, a nonprofit community action agency.
Junior group member Danny Bush suggested Accord because of his past experiences working with it.
“I had done work for them in the past — like youth summits and video projects — in Belfast, New York,” Bush said. “I knew they were very progressive and willing to help anyone in need, so I mentioned the agency our first day of planning. (Accord) then referred us to a subdivision, the Community Action Angels.”
Alongside the Community Action Angels, members of Cans For Change plan to collect food and monetary donations from the campus community, junior group leader Alycie McLaughlin said.
Members have raised awareness by posting fliers, putting public-service announcements on the campus radio station, WSBU 88.3 FM, The Buzz and other methods.
“I work with such a great team, and we all are taking a great part in participating with the project and communicating with our professor,” McLaughlin said. “I will be hanging flyers in Devereux and De La Roche and will be sitting at the Reilly Center to collect change and canned food. We will also have drop boxes (throughout campus). The change and food will go to the Community Action Angels in Allegany County.”
Funchess said contributing to the cause is easy for college students who often have extra food and change left over at the end of the school year.
“If we could get them to donate the food or the spare change they’re just going to waste anyway, then we could help a lot of people in a short amount of time,” she said.
The students who are a part of Cans For Change all said solving the worldwide hunger problem is important, especially when the problem exists so close to home. Allegany County, where 15.5 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the 2000 census, seemed like a place where help is urgently needed.
“So many people do not realize what is going on, even though it is right in front of their eyes,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone sees the commercials to help the hungry people in third-world countries and want to help them, but we have these problems in our own country that should be taken care of first. Any hunger we can fix in the world is always a good thing — I just think we should work on our own communities more than we do. We have the resources in the country to feed every citizen, yet millions of households in the United States are food insecure.”
While some of the students who helped create Cans For Change are seniors, its younger members hope to continue the project after this year.
“If all goes well, we would love to establish this event as an annual fund- and food-raiser, even after we have graduated years from now,” Bush said. “It’s about keeping those who can help informed. If they know who and where to put their time and resources into, I am positive future leaders here at Bonaventure will continue this campaign.”
Cans For Change is on Twitter @Cans4Change and also has a Facebook and Tumblr page where those interested can learn more and receive updates.
berkhesj10@bonaventure.edu
