The Samford community has long valued community service, as stated by one of the university’s core values, which is “service to God, to family, to one another [and] to the community.” Samford offers many opportunities for students to serve the Birmingham community; among these, a new service partnership has arisen.
Samford University partnered with FeedBHM, a non-profit organization that rescues leftover food from restaurants, stores, cafes, events and organizations and redistributes the food to citizens of Birmingham who are facing food insecurity. Through FeedBHM, student organizations that have leftover food from events or meetings can donate their leftovers to the non-profit.
FeedBHM will accept any donated food that is contained, sealed and transported to their office, which is located only 15 minutes from campus.
Samford Student FeedBHM Liaison, Elijah Carswell, said he is excited about this new service opportunity for Samford students. Carswell explained that according to The Food Network, over 30 million people battle food insecurity around the country, yet less than two-thirds of those benefit from the 20 million pounds of food that college campuses waste annually.
“Millions of families around the world go to bed hungry every night, and plenty of people in our local community are also suffering from food insecurity,” Carswell said. “That is why working to mitigate food insecurity is an amazing opportunity for us students to make a positive impact on many lives both in and out of the Birmingham area.”
As a Community Service Representative, Carswell is passionate about serving his community and campus.
“It is always a good thing to help others and care for our environment,” Carswell said. “Everyone has not been dealt the same hand in life, and it is a beautiful thing to exercise your gifts and use your success and passions to encourage others and to help them move forward in their life’s journey and purpose.”
Carswell encouraged students to look into serving at FeedBHM and to donate their food leftovers from events, meetings or gatherings to the non-profit. For more information, email Elijah Carswell at ecarswel@samford.edu.
Staff Writer
