Spring 2013 - D'Youville College

STAYING INFORMED - the collegecontinued from page 5It’s a little known fact that tuition onlycovers a portion of the true cost of aD’Youville education each year. StudentsFund through:Gifts to the Loyalty Fund may be organization or they can be unrestricted, tobe used wherever the need is the greatest.Donations provide students with theresources they need, keeping educationwithin reach for future generations ofstudents.If you haven’t done so already,there is still time to give tothis year’s campaign thatruns through May 31.Visit alumni.dyouville.edu/donations/ to make yoursecure donation!Give Today!The food collected for Thanksgiving wasenough for 50 boxes, much of which wasdistributed to Westside Ministries.LIVING THE GOSPEL AND THE MISSIONIn August of each year, the faculty andstaff gather together for the college’sopening assembly at which time SisterDenise Roche offers a warm welcome, the“state of the college” address, along with ato live the mission of the college. August of2011 offered a slightly unique challenge, tolive the gospel of Matthew 25:35, 37, and40 which states: “For I was hungry and yougave me food, I was thirsty and you gaveme drink, I was a stranger and you mademe welcome. Then the upright will say tohim in reply, Lord, when did we see youhungry and feed you, or thirsty and giveyou drink? And the King will answer, Intruth I tell you, in so far as you did this toone of the least of these brothers of mine,you did it to me.”Sister’s challenge was based, in part, onthe alarming statistics regarding hunger inthe United States. We live in the wealthiestnation in the world yet 50.1 millionAmericans struggle to put food on the table.Each night 16.2 million children in Americago to bed hungry. Forty percent of food isthrown out in the US every year, whichtranslates into approximately $165 billionworth of food. This uneaten food couldfeed 25 million Americans. Contraryto the thoughts of some, the problemis not due to a food shortage, but thecontinued prevalence of poverty.Hunger exists within our own collegecommunity as students weigh the costof food versus the cost of rent, textbooksand general school supplies. So in thespirit of St. Marguerite d’Youville andliving the gospel the D’Youville CollegeHunger Initiative began. A committee wasformed, led by Sister Denise, and the 2011-events and volunteer opportunities tocombat hunger in and around the collegecampus. The response was so great and sowell received by those on the receiving endthat the committee voted to continue theinitiative for a second year.Efforts that are continuing from last yearinclude serving food at Friends of NightPeople on the second Wednesday of eachmonth, collecting food at the monthlyalumni association board of directorsmeeting, packing food for Feed MyDYC volunteers help Friends of Night PeopleStarving Children, Thanksgiving foodbaskets, and caring for the West SideCommunity Services Center vegetablegarden. New initiatives for this academicyear include supporting the Earth 2 Mouthproject (connects local food producers andsoup kitchens in an end-to-end volunteerexperience), various food collections tosupport the Holy Angels Church food pantry,Charter Day Food Drive, healthy treat drivefor the afterschool program at West SideCommunity Services Center and the EmptyBowl project. The bowl project consists ofdecorating small bowls, selling them for $5apiece and offering free soup to anyone whopurchases a bowl. Proceeds of the sale of thebowls will go toward Food for All, Friendsof Night People and Family Promise.The Hunger Initiative Committeeencourages alumni and friends of the collegeto join our mission to make a difference inVolunteer at a local soup kitchen, sponsora food drive at your work place with thecollected food and/or funds donated to alocal food bank, sponsor an empty bowlproject at your school or parish, start acommunity vegetable garden or simplyreach out to someone you know who isstruggling to make ends meet. Performingeven the simplest acts of kindness will havea ripple effect in ways that you cannot beginto imagine. Be that ripple of change, and, inthe words of St. Marguerite d’Youville, “…never refuse to serve.”6