Hope College athletes know how to compete. They’ve harnessed their competitive spirit by working together to defeat childhood hunger in the Holland community.
“We had a blast packing backpacks for kids who face weekend hunger,” said Grace Wesley, a senior on the swim team who organized the event. “It always ends up in a big competition to see who can pack the most bags the fastest.”
Hope athletes from many different teams joined together to raise money for Hand2Hand, a nonprofit organization that provides food to the nearly 65,000 children in West Michigan who have little to no food to eat during the weekend.
They raised more than $4,000 by gathering donations, mostly during athletic events. Alumni and Hope fans responded generously to jumbotron video messages students put together to inform them about food insecurity in the community.
“It gave me a lot more perspective on what is going around me. I’ve never had to worry about having enough to eat,” the kinesiology major said. “It’s something a lot of Hope students have never experienced. We are very fortunate. It opened our eyes to the needs around us.”
Athletes Coming Together/Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ACT-SAAC) led the effort under the leadership of Wesley. She said the money they raised provided enough food to fill 1,200 backpacks.
“We learned that giving even a small amount goes a long way,” Wesley explained. “You can feed a child for the weekend for $4.25.”
The athletes’ service is a strong example of Hope Forward’s three pillars of access, community and generosity.
“Community is a huge aspect of the program. It brings athletes from all the sports together to support our community and West Michigan,” Wesley said.
Plus, student athletes’ efforts helped to unite alumni, sports fans, parents and other students, giving them an opportunity to learn about food insecurity in the community and inspiring them to do something about it.
“Everyone had such a sense of joy to support these families and children,” Wesley added.
While access, community and generosity have been associated with Hope Forward, the three pillars have always been deeply rooted in the DNA of Hope College, according to Nicole Dunteman, Hope Forward program director. Hope Forward “dives deeper into who we already are” as a campus community, Dunteman explained. Student athletes’ efforts for Hand2Hand are one of many examples of Hope students joining together to generously serve others.
“The entire campus community is growing in character and virtue together,” Dunteman said. “We’re creating a cycle of generosity that is bringing Hope to the world.”
It’s bringing hope to children and families right in our own community, too.