Susquehanna service club feeds the need for local food justice

By Darian Rahnis, Staff Writer Susquehanna’s Community Food Action Team (CFAT) held its first community breakfast of the year on Sept. 16 at All Saints Episcopal Church. CFAT is a...

By Darian Rahnis, Staff Writer

Susquehanna’s Community Food Action Team (CFAT) held its first community breakfast of the year on Sept. 16 at All Saints Episcopal Church.

CFAT is a club on campus dedicated to food justice in the local community, according to the co-president of CFAT, senior Jacqui Meredith.

The club volunteers in the area and hosts free breakfasts once a month for anyone that may need food, Meredith said.

The other co-president of CFAT, senior Zach Kane, also emphasized the importance of food justice for those in need.

“There are people who’s only way they can eat in the morning is through CFAT,” Kane said. “Food isn’t just a privilege, it’s a right.”

“Food makes the world go ‘round,” Kane added.

While the breakfasts are geared toward community residents, students are welcome to attend. One of the goals of the club is to foster a relation- ship between the greater Selinsgrove community and the college, Meredith explained.

“We’re about bringing the community together and our main goal is to feed and help people,” said CFAT vice president, senior Erik Johnston.

The first breakfast featured made-to-order pancakes and was attended by over 20 people. According to Meredith, it was a team effort to prepare, cook and serve the food, as well as clean up afterward.

Overall, Meredith believes the breakfast was successful, and she encourages other students to join the club.

CFAT meets on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the Degenstein Campus Center lower level conference room.

Anyone interested in volunteering at an event or joining the club may attend a meeting or email the club’s leaders at susquehannacfat@gmail.com.

The next community breakfast will be held on Oct. 7 at the Moose Lodge.

Previous CFAT breakfasts have been held at the Selinsgrove Senior Center, the Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene and St. Pius X Church, among others.

CFAT has also held charity fundraisers, such as the “End Hunger Games” last semester. Students were able to give monetary or food donations and participate in a water balloon fight on Degenstein Lawn and the proceeds went to local establishments.

CFAT is one of many volunteer and service organizations students can get involved with at Susquehanna.

Other groups include Alpha Phi Omega, Circle K, Colleges Against Cancer, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Smile, People Serving People, Senior Friends, Student Awareness for the Value of the Environment and Study Buddy.

The Johnson Center for Civic Engagement, which CFAT has collaborated with in the past, is another source of service opportunities that students can go to on campus.

In addition, Susquehanna students can also get involved with volunteering through SU Give, a tradition for first-year students, SU Splash, an annual trip designed to teach participants about homelessness and SU Serve, a day of service held in April each year.

On a more regular basis, students also get involved through more common avenues of volunteering, such as blood drives, poverty simulations and the campus garden.

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