Staff Writer- Cora Hess
Photo credits: Anyah Moffett
As the month of September comes to an end, both the United Christian Ministries and the Gustie Pantry are preparing for their World Food Programme Fundraiser.
United Christian Ministries (United) is the umbrella organization for every Christian organization around campus. United consists of representatives from each Christian organization as well as United’s President, Senior Grace LaTourelle.
Senior Representative Soph White is part of the council that combines and meets to form United.
“[United functions] as a sort of council to discuss issues each organization might be having, potential disputes between groups, or working together to fight for causes we believe are essential to promoting the values of Jesus’ ministry,” White shared.
The Gustie Pantry was then created by the members of United and opened in the Fall of 2024. It is located in the basement of Old Main and resides as a free food and personal care item pantry. It is not limited to who uses it, students and staff are able to take anything they may need from the pantry.
“It’s for people facing food insecurity, people who might not have enough money left in their meal plan at the end of the month, people who can’t make it to the Caf but need a snack in between class, people who don’t have a car and can’t get to the grocery store, people who are struggling with an eating disorder…it is for everyone, created by students to address multidimensional food related need on this campus,” LaTourelle explained.
The fundraiser is being held to benefit the world’s largest humanitarian organization, World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP is an organization that provides food to places in need. They are present in 120 countries and help with the many unforeseen circumstances that these countries may be going through.
“I found out about them through reading articles on the extreme food insecurity that people are facing in Gaza as a result of the genocide being committed against Palestinian people. I got my information from this website: https://www.wfp.org/who-we-are,” LaTourelle exclaimed.
The tabling for this fundraiser will take place outside of the Evelyn Young Dining Hall October 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They will have printed QR codes available to scan that direct you straight to the donation website. If this method is inconvenient for you, they also accept cash.
If you are unable to make it during these times, do not worry; students can also donate via the Instagram post that United has posted and pinned at the top of their account (follow @gustavusunited) and lounge. When you donate, you receive a sticker made by White, which you can receive by showing them the receipt of your donation.
The members of United hope that this fundraiser will positively impact the community of Gustavus. They understand that not everyone will be able to help with the donation aspect, but hope for the word to get out and awareness to be spread.
“Hopefully, Gusties will donate to the cause, but we also recognize that we’re college students already paying for a lot with schooling. So, I’m more broadly hoping that people stop by our table and read our info graphic and engage in open, respectful dialogue and curiosity. And from there, do something that positively impacts their community,” LaTourelle said.
Just stopping by their table, students, faculty, and staff can learn a portion of what is going on in the world outside of what they may already know.
“The genocide being committed against Palestinian people is horrific and heartbreaking and there is so much that we can do beyond giving our money such as writing letters to representatives, educating ourselves, spreading awareness, and prayer. And this is not the only conflict happening in the world– Ukrainians are still dying from the war, people in the US are without shelter and food every day, people on campus skip meals because they don’t have the money to afford being fed…the point is that we need to remember just how connected we are with one another and practice compassion, live out empathy, and love one another in the ways that we are called to,” LaTourelle exclaimed.
The slogan that represents this fundraiser is ‘Food Is Not Political.” While the world’s current issues have become politicized, food remains un-political.
“No one deserves to go hungry and yet, according to the United Nations, over 1 million people in the West Bank are food insecure and 2/3 of people in the Gaza strip are facing ‘critical and emergency levels of hunger.’ We’re tabling for this through the Gustie Pantry because while the Pantry provides for food insecurity in our immediate community, we are all one global community. This is a matter of humanity and a matter of faith, which is why United decided to fundraise,” LaTourelle said.