Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
What began as a simple idea to share leftover food has grown into a campuswide effort to address hunger at Roanoke College.
After a Thanksgiving meal two years ago, classmates Liz Satynska, a junior computer science major, and then-senior Brian Schwenk began thinking about the disparity between their abundance of leftovers and the food insecurity faced by more than 1 in 10 U.S. households. Satynska said the contrast struck her as she stood in her family’s crowded kitchen after the holiday.
“I remember standing in the overcrowded kitchen and realizing there is no reason why leftover meal swipes from campus can’t give other people the same experience,” she said.
What started as the pair ordering extra takeout meals from Cavern and delivering them to the Rescue Mission of Roanoke has evolved into Pass on Hunger, a student-led initiative that partners with Dining Services to allow students to donate unused meal swipes each week. Students can contribute simply by selecting the Pass on Hunger option in Cavern’s mobile ordering app.
In the first two months of the current semester, students donated 695 meal swipes, with proceeds benefiting both the Rescue Mission and Roanoke College’s RC Pantry. The pantry provides free, year-round support for students, while the Rescue Mission offers daily meals to people experiencing homelessness in the region.
“I’m thrilled to see students leading the way to make a difference like this,” said Jesse Griffin, director of the Center for Civic Engagement, which oversees the campus pantry. “With Pass on Hunger, students are able to make an immediate impact on both the lives of their fellow students and members of their local community with a simple click on their phones.”
Griffin said the project reflects the college’s emphasis on leadership and service, helping students build skills while strengthening the surrounding community.
“We Maroons share a passion for serving our neighbors,” he said. “Pass on Hunger is another great way for us to give back.”
Satynska said she and Schwenk, who joined the Peace Corps after graduating, were drawn to the idea that students could make a difference using resources already available to them.
“We saw an opportunity to empower students to have more control over how they use their resources while benefiting the community,” she said. “Honestly, one of the cool things about the program is it’s a simple idea that anybody could re-create. It requires minimal effort compared to the good that it does.”
Now serving as president of the Pass on Hunger group, Satynska said the project taught her that meaningful change is within reach for anyone.
“New ideas are within the grasp of anyone,” she said. “For me at least, that’s an exciting part of Pass on Hunger. We’re part of a larger, collective mission to not let resources go to waste and to try and be kind.”
