Outreach day to focus on food insecurity

By Amber Tong     8/21/15 8:51am

The Center for Civic Leadership is presenting a new model for Outreach Day 2015, which will take place on the Saturday after Orientation Week, according to CCL Executive Director Caroline Quenemoen. With the focus on a single topic and a keynote address before volunteering activities, the event may look quite different from previous Outreach Days.

“This year we will focus one issue — food insecurity, provide context for the service by hosting a 45-minute kick-off session in the Grand Hall, and conduct service with five organizations focused on hunger and food insecurity: the Houston Food Bank, Target Hunger, Stop Hunger Now, Last Organic Outpost and Neighborhood Enrichment Exchange,” Quenemoen said.

At the kick-off, Jim Day (Wiess ‘78, MBA ‘79) and Amy Altchuler (Martel ‘12), alumni committed to addressing food insecurity, will deliver the keynote, and community partners will explain their organizations' efforts toward achieving food security.

---

---

“Our goal is for students to go to their service sites with a better understanding of the issue and its effects on communities and to return to campus eager to discuss their experience and to continue working with our partners during their time at Rice,” Quenemoen said.

Kelly Windham, associate director in programs and partnerships, said the event is intended to promote the CCL’s mission to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with community partners, both locally and globally.

“As opposed to a one-day service event, we see [Outreach Day] as day one of students' engagement with the city,” Quenemoen said. “We are excited to offer a common experience that will promote dialogue and create a platform for future engagement. We are working with our partners to identify follow-up opportunities throughout the year.”

Duncan College sophomore Victoria Johnson, who participated in last year’s Outreach Day, said she appreciated the new emphasis on continuity.

“[Last year] I helped the community garden that was on Rice campus,” Johnson said. “We had a great time, but it also felt like this was something we did for one day. … So I like that this year there is potentially more of a follow-through, and students get to see the impact of their work.”

This year's Outreach Day is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m for all participating students.

---