Instead of letting unused meal plans go to waste, students have the opportunity to donate them to the Statesboro Food Bank this week for the annual Shop for Hungry event at The NEST.

“Shop for the Hungry gives GSU students a chance to donate their meal plans to help less fortunate people in Statesboro,” Beth-Anne Mathis, organizer of the event and graduate assistant in the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, said.

The event, which began yesterday, will continue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and tomorrow at The NEST. All students have to do is swipe their Eagle I.D. card at the Statesboro Food Bank table to donate, Mathis said.

Each meal plan donated allows the Statesboro Food Bank to donate three meals to underprivileged people in the Bulloch County area, Mathis said.

The Statesboro Food Bank is a charity that provides emergency food to those in need in the Statesboro and Bulloch County areas.

“I really wanted to continue with this program. A lot of people are living in poverty in Statesboro and every bit helps,” Mathis said.

Shop for the Hungry is a collaborative effort between the OSLCE and Eagle Dining Services.

“(Shop for the Hungry is) a wonderful opportunity to partner with the Office of Student Leadership & Civic Engagement and help the local Statesboro community,” Michael Murphy, marketing coordinator for Eagle Dining Services, said.

“The event allows Eagle Dining Services to be involved with the people around us. It gives us the opportunity to extend our philosophy to individuals off campus that need assistance,” Murphy said.

“Our goal is pretty undefined, but I’d love to get around one-hundred meal plans donated per day, or three-hundred meal plans donated total,” Mathis said.

The Shop for the Hungry event is a part of larger movement called Social Justice Week at GSU. Social Justice Week at GSU is sponsored by the OSLCE, which also features events like a poverty simulation, the Empty Bowl Project, various panels discussing problems in society, a global awareness luncheon and more.