Students In Action: Let's Do Lunch
Volunteers prepare nutritious meals for hungry hordes of fellow students.
By Rachel Morse, Junior, Oklahoma City University
Director of religious life, Jennifer Long, saw a need. When she first arrived at Oklahoma City University, she was shocked to discover many students were not eating proper meals.
In Spring 2006, with the help of other volunteer students, Long created “Wednesday at the Wesley”—a free lunch every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the university chapel.
She says that they developed this lunch with a three-fold purpose:
• To grow fellowship among students
• To offer vegetarian options
• To provide free, home-cooked meals
Long says they initially fed around 20 people. However, through word of mouth, the event grew.
“Now five years later, we cook for about 250,” Long says. And the Wednesday at the Wesley attracts students from all different backgrounds.
Bringing Students and Staff Together
Keith Bethell, youth ministry junior/intern for the Wesley Center, says that the event attracts a variety of students and faculty.
“It’s a good environment to meet people you wouldn’t normally see,” he says. “It builds solidarity between staff and students.”
The lunch also offers an optional 30-minute Bible study and a game of jungle pong (a free-for-all version of ping pong). These activities offer students ways to continue fellowship after eating. “We want to feed more than just mouths,” says Long, who believes the group “feeds” friendships as well.
Senior Savannah Radcliffe says, “I think it’s a really relaxing time to get together as friends, play jungle pong, or go to a Bible study,” she says. “There are a lot of people who don’t have cafeteria meals and need food.”
Food is the Main Attraction
Long and the volunteers cook from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. She says that making the food themselves keeps the meals varied, cuts the cost, and even teaches volunteers how to cook.
“We made an intentional decision of being in the kitchen together,” she says. And nutrition is a key part of the free lunch.
“We always try to have a salad or a vegetable to try and balance people’s meals,” she says. “By cooking ourselves, we don’t just grab frozen foods with preservatives.”
RACHEL MORSE IS A JUNIOR MASS COMMUNICATIONS/BROADCASTING MAJOR AT OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY (OCU). SHE IS ALSO A STAFFWRITER FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS AT OCU.
Find Out More
Click for more about Students Team Up to Fight Hunger - and how you can get involved on your campus.
Click for more about Food Donation Connection at Franciscan U., another way students are helping their local communities.
