The St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Long Island Campus’ Office of Campus Ministry, Office of Global Studies, Best Buddies Club, Diversity Union and Law and Justice Society are tackling hunger through their Souperbowl of Caring event.
As a group, the organizations will be collecting food to support Patchogue-Medford Youth and Community Services (PMYCS) from Jan. 27 through Feb 10.
PMYCS believes the best way to help the community’s youth is through supporting the family as a whole. In 2024, they were able to assist more than 14,000 people within their community.
“PMYCS supports the youth and families of our local community through programming, outreach and support services to better enhance their lives,” said Jonathan Gallo, director of Campus Ministry.
SJNY started partnering with PMYCS, when the organization held a food drive during the fall. The University has also provided student volunteers to lend a hand with other PMYCS events.
Donation boxes can be found in buildings around the Long Island campus including the Student Center.
The Souperbowl of Caring is a part of the larger initiative, Tackle Hunger, which was created in 1990 to allow communities to take action and fight hunger on the local level. Food pantries, especially on the local level, are often low on stock after the holidays. Through Souperbowl of Caring, local communities are able to help the food pantries replenish their supplies.
“Oftentimes many food pantries find themselves at lower stock after the holidays, so I wanted to make sure that we were able to assist PMYCS in making sure they had enough food for the coming months,” said Gallo.
Last year, Souperbowl of Caring was held in connection with the Lighthouse Mission, and it had a great response from the SJNY community that Gallo is hoping to replicate.
“I am hopeful that our community really shows up to help donate food to PMYCS. This is such a great organization that is connected to our local community, so I want to make sure that they are supported. I also want to continue to reinforce the importance of our University’s mission and five pillars, particularly those of social responsibility and service,” Gallo added.
SJNY students are no stranger to the importance of the University’s mission and five pillars, which allow them to lead a life of success in their careers and create positive and transformative impacts on their local communities.
“The Sisters of St. Joseph focus much of their own mission on caring for the ‘dear neighbor’ and working towards justice through love, so through this event I want to make sure that our students are embodying that same vision and showing love and compassion to those who need it the most,” Gallo concluded.
Students and faculty can donate non-perishable canned food items in the donation boxes located in every building on campus.
