Recently, I overheard some students discussing whether or not Hunger Clean-Up really does any good — since it is only a one-day service project. This statement concerns me and I'd like to outline just how much good HCU contributes to the Milwaukee and Marquette communities. Hunger Clean-Up is the university's largest community service project — in fact, it is one of the largest such programs in the nation. On Saturday, nearly 2,000 Marquette students, employees and alumni will give their time, energy and skills to approximately 150 social service agencies and schools throughout Milwaukee. This day of service is often an introduction to service that becomes a catalyst for the continued involvement of many of our students. Over the last 15 years of HCU, Marquette has sent 21, 000 volunteers to over 1,200 agencies in need. That is a huge impact! As a result of this connection, local agencies count on HCU and its volunteers to help them accomplish their goals each spring, and many meaningful relationships have been formed.

HCU is also a fundraiser. Local agencies apply for grants designed to help them start new initiatives or compensate for all too common losses in funding. While the grants are not huge, the amount is substantial enough to make a lasting difference to the agencies and the people they serve. Over the last 15 years, HCU has raised $256,000 and donated funds to 73 local agencies — pretty amazing numbers! This year our fund recipients are Delphi House — a program that provides shelter and educational programs for children, The Campus Kitchens Job Training Program — a job-training program in food preparation for underemployed men and women and Gingerbread Land — an oasis of love in the inner city that provides safe housing for women and children. Many of you have given several hours of service to these agencies and have been changed by their people and services.

We want to keep this campus tradition strong and its benefit to the community significant. There are a number of ways you can help us do this: join or form a team for the day of service and ask friends and family to sponsor you for your hours of service, if your student organization or department is looking for a worthy cause for which to raise funds, please consider HCU and the agencies it serves, see if the organizations your parents or friends work with are able to donate to HCU, drop your spare change in an HCU donation jar at the Brews and other locations, buy a HCU t-shirt or drop off a donation in AMU room 329.

Hunger Clean-Up has become a beloved and vital part of the Marquette and Milwaukee communities. This program has brought people together in meaningful ways and accomplished significant goals. The success of this program is a result of the commitment and compassion of the members of the Marquette community and our Milwaukee partners. We appreciate the support you have given the program all these years.

Dave Borgealt is assistant dean for community service programs for the Office of Student Development.

This viewpoint appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 14 2005.