“…being a student shouldn’t just

involve memorizing facts and writing papers…it should

involve learning how to coexist and

benefit the community around you, using the skills and resources that

other people lack…”

We served with Second Harvest Food Bank as part of our service-learning course work at Tulane University this fall. We helped recover produce donated by the Produce Marketing Food Show (PMA) at the New Orleans Convention Center…

…and sorted and packed thousands of pounds of donated food items at the Second Harvest warehouse..

We believe that public service “contributes to the development of student civic engagement,” the guiding principle of Tulane’s Center for Public Service. Working with Second Harvest opened our eyes to the business of food security, distribution, and inequality. We plan to continue working with Second Harvest, working more directly with the people it serves in New Orleans. In the spring, we plan to serve with some of the community agencies who benefit from the donations of food we helped pack…. Working with a group really showed us how making a small difference can yield giant results…

Volunteering gave…a perspective on how much non-profits could accomplish on a larger scale…If Second Harvest won part of the prize money, they could expand and bring more automation to their warehouse packing area, buy more trucks for food distribution, and purchase more food to distribute.