At Le Moyne, there are many opportunities for students to actively give back to the community, and four of them have proactively done just that. Recently, three Le Moyne sophomores and one junior, all of whom attend Holy Cross Church on East Genesee Street, took hold of the Le Moyne spirit and volunteered their free time to help the homeless and those less fortunate.
The kitchen opened at noon, where junior Rebecca Moulton, and sophomores Caitlin Czelusniak, Stephanie Fortier and Brianna Wyle all took it upon themselves to bring a wide variety of tomatoes, raisins, onions, plastic-ware and even twenty loaves of bread to The Samaritan Center for a church-sponsored meal. These students were able to serve food to people who might otherwise not have had anything to eat that day.
The food line quickly fills up during the cold winter months, hosting as many as 350 people in dire need of a warm meal. Czelusniak recalled her experiences with the massive line of people because “they’re all very grateful.” Afterwards Wyle added that “they were all very funny characters [and] all of them thanked us a million times.”
Their efforts did not go unnoticed, as many strangers thanked the girls and relished the ability to simply enjoy a single hot meal.
They all agreed that although they experienced a lot of praise and laughter at the Samaritan Center, seeing young children in line broke their hearts.
“A woman sat for over an hour trying to absorb as much of the heat as she could, to warm up, with a cup of coffee,” Czelusniak said.
The experience left an impression on their minds that they won’t soon forget.
“There are so many opportunities to get involved and not enough people take it,” Fortier said.“Being able to see the people really impacts you. It changes you.”
For more information regarding available volunteer opportunities and to share in the experience of feeding the homeless at the Samaritan Center, call Mary Beth Frey at (315) 472-0650 or visit www.samcenter.org The kitchen is located at 310 Montgomery St. Syracuse, N.Y. 13202.
Le Moyne also has other options in which students can show their Dolphin spirit at various local sites that all desperately need assistance.
To get a full list of locations and contact information, visit the Le Moyne College website at http://www.lemoyne.edu/Academics/ResourcesforUndergraduateStudents/ServiceLearning/VolunteerOpportunities/FoodPrograms/tabid/1896/Default.aspx.
