Missouri State University Living-Learning Students Give Back
Missouri State University is an important part of our community. And volunteering is an important part of the campus culture.
Each year, students have the opportunity to join a Living-Learning Community, which is designed to help students with similar educational interests live and learn together in residence halls. These groups of students participate in an annual Day of Service each fall where they perform community service at a variety of organizations across the community.
The 8th Annual Day of Service brought seven students to Ozarks Food Harvest to help pack bags and boxes – and we can’t thank them enough! Alongside regular volunteers, the students experienced firsthand just how big of an impact the food distributed by Ozarks Food Harvest to families can be.
When they step through the doors at Ozarks Food Harvest, they can truly see that food insecurity is real and the work they are about to do serves their local community in incredible ways.
“The Weekend Backpack Program is a highlight,” says Christopher Clark, Coordinator of Residence Life – Living-Learning Communities. “They feel like they are making a real difference in the community knowing that kids and their parents facing food insecurity can now have food.”
Another highlight the students say is being able to hear and see the amount of impact at the end of their volunteer time. “They are able to actually see how it’s making a change,” Christopher says.
For many of these students, it’s one of their first community engagement activities for students new to the area. This provides an opportunity to get involved in their community and make a connection. Many of these students enjoy their experience and have continued to volunteer on their own. Missouri State University’s Living-Learning Communities have donated nearly 400 hours of volunteer time to the Food Bank.
Thank you so much to our Missouri State University volunteers who helped us Transform Hunger into Hope on the 8th Annual Living-Learning Day of Service! We hope you enjoyed being a part of our volunteer community! Sign up to volunteer here.