Editor’s Note: As of 10/19/20, the food drive is now scheduled for Nov. 9-13.
A Student Government Association member is organizing a food pantry to benefit elementary school students.
Nicholas Sayegh, marketing finance freshman, serves as the deputy secretary of policies and initiatives for SGA. Sayegh is working on “OCU loves OKC,” an initiative which will implement a food pantry at Martin Luther King Elementary.
Sayegh said this initiative is one of many he is working on. He said the initiatives aim to involve OCU directly with the surrounding community of Oklahoma City.
“I started two food pantries at my high school,” he said. “One in three kids are hungry in Oklahoma, and the state of Oklahoma is in the top 10 for hunger. I was an inner city, under-resourced student, which is why I’m really focused on this initiative.”
Sayegh said the food drive will take place Nov. 2-6. SGA will be accepting monetary donations as well as non-perishable food donations.
“The plan right now is to have it be a competition between student organizations on campus and provide incentives to encourage people to participate. But, even if you’re not in an organization, we’d love your support,” he said.
Sayegh said he is making plans to coordinate a safe drop off with the elementary school to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
“Now that I have more of an opportunity to do so, I want to do it on a wider scale across the city,” he said. “This is the first part, and if everything goes to plan, I’d like to start a mentorship program with high schools, preferably helping students in marginalized communities to give them an idea of higher education.”
Sayegh plans to support MLK Elementary for the fall semester and choose a different school for the spring semester.
Jake Harrell, English/religious education junior, said, as a local Oklahoman, he has noticed the food crisis in OKC.
“Oklahoma City has been struggling with food deserts. I’ve seen firsthand what a great food pantry can do for a community,” Harrell said. “Not only that, but there are really people who don’t eat three meals a day. We have a government that isn’t working for the people right now, so it’s really hard to seek help in our society.”
Harrell said based on the success of the University of Oklahoma’s food pantry, OCU can make a great impact on the community.
“The OU food pantry started out really small, but now it has grown into a massive thing that has a lot of different aspects of the community involved. It grew from this idea to a huge part of the town. It’s just incredible. I love how OCU has so much potential with an idea like this,” Harrell said.
Harrell said OCU’s location plays an important role in potential philanthropy work.
“OCU is located in such a diverse location already, and where we are now, it’s a beautiful place to be. We could do something to help our homeless and struggling neighbors, and even our struggling students,” Harrell said. “If we can do our part and be good neighbors, that’s wonderful for us and for everybody.”
Sayegh said he hopes students will participate in the food drive.
“I would just encourage the OCU community, if you’re going out to buy Halloween candy, even one can of food is a meal for a child,” Sayegh said. “It’s a big deal in this community, especially in the pandemic.”
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