Ottawa residents will have an opportunity to help people without food through February.
“It had always been something I had wanted to do,” Sophomore Adam Henn said. “It is something to do to give back and help some people out so they can have a meal.”
Numana is a program that started in 2008 to feed the starving internationally. It seeks to help those without food, and is currently focusing on Haiti. Communities sign up to participate in the Numana Project. Representatives then visit the community to set up a goal to raise money within a certain amount of time.
David Glavin, resident director of Bennett Hall, said that the program seeks communities that are interested in helping. Once the community raises the money the project provides food and packing supplies for the groups to assemble to be sent to Haiti.
“Ottawa’s goal is $30,000 by February,” Glavin said.
If the goal is met, this should box about 100,000 meals that volunteers will package in a two to three day period.
The resident assistants of each hall have been encouraged to get involved with the program so they could promote students to help with the packing process in February.
“At this point it is pretty much in the beginning process,” Glavin said. “In the next few months there’s probably going to be a lot of fundraisers through churches and within the town.”
Once the program enters the packing process, students will be able to sign up to help at different locations on Campus, Glavin added.
“I hope we can get all spring sports involved and anyone else that can and would like to help,” Henn said. “It would be cool if Ottawa could get a ton of people to make a big impact.”
Although churches and the community will head the process of raising money for the goal, Ottawa University residents halls are beginning to think up ways that they can get involved in the process.
Thomas Pearson, resident director of Brown Hall, said the Brown RAs have decided to raise money and are challenging the other halls to do the same.
“Each floor will create a bucket and advertise what it is for and go door to door within the building to raise the money,” he said.
Glavin said that when the problem of feeding starving people is looked at it can be very daunting but that is one of many reasons the Numana project is ideal.
“It offers an opportunity to reach globally,” Glavin said. “We are able to reach out to other people within our means here in Ottawa, Kansas.”
Once fundraisers start, students will have the opportunity to volunteer whenever help is needed.
Students can find out more about the program by visiting the website www.numanainc.com.