Most of us take the food on our tables for granted. For some people, where their next meal will come from is a constant uncertainty, and hunger is the norm. Organizations like the Cristo Rey Community Center exist to help support these individuals. Cristo Rey is a basic needs service center, focusing on food, medical, and financial counseling for low-income populations in the Lansing-area.

To help with Cristo Rey’s efforts, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion collected perishable items last month. These items were delivered to the community center on Thursday, January 26 to supplement the fresh food and produce distribution that took place that day.  

A group of volunteers from the College visited the community center that morning to deliver the donations and assist with distribution. The group consisted of us, Dr. Susan Ewart, Dr. Susan Holcombe, Tim Stedman, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion team.

When we arrived, only one truck of the usual two shipments of food had arrived due to a shortage. The food had to be distributed among the variable 40–120 families that use this service. Luckily, items from the College’s food drive were able to supplement the normal donations so that all the people in need who were promised food were able to take a package back to their families.

Cristo Rey is always looking for donations and volunteers to assist in distributing food. The distribution events are run the second and fourth Thursday of every month. If you are interested in these opportunities, you can contact the community center at 517-372-4700. Larger donation events will be posted on their website at www.cristoreycommunity.org.