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 International volunteer day exemplified locally Student has school, community approach to end hunger in city As a third-year International Development and Politics students at Trent University, Mandy Ashton knows a thing or two about world hunger. But she says the best way she can make a difference is to do her part locally. It is people like Ashton who are being celebrated on International Volunteer Day, held yesterday around the world. It’s an annual day officially recognized by the United Nations as a day on which volunteers everywhere are recognized and celebrated for their contributions and dedication. “I’ve always been interested in volunteering and food issues are hitting home for some reason right now,” says Ashton, who says she constantly hears and reads stories about local poverty issues. “It’s so prevalent that people are actually going hungry here. Since I’m an International Development and Politics major, I constantly hear about global hunger, but it’s locally where I’m choosing to act,” she says. Ashton is the co-ordinator of a new group at Trent University called Trent Meal Exchange. Meal Exchange is a network of university students on 45 campuses across Canada that work to bring a focus to local and national hunger issues. It’s Trent’s first year with the program. As co-ordinator, Ashton says she has been working with a core group of volunteers to facilitate interesting and fun events like Trick-or-Eat, a Halloween food drive. “Sixty-five students took part and raised 3,300 pounds of food. I’ve heard that’s equivalent to 2,640 meals,” says Ashton. She adds that a significant part of that evening was raising the awareness level of the city, handing out literature on poverty issues while people were out canvassing for food items. Ashton is also working on another initiative at Trent, trying to put in place a program where students can choose to direct any additional food money they have left over from the year to be used for food banks. While not all students have an overage of money left over, for those that do, it would give them the choice to use it this way, says Ashton, making a difference locally. |
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