Friday nights mean different things for everyone. But for the members of Students Fighting Hunger, Friday nights are a chance to interact with members of the community while working for a good cause.
Founded in the 1980s by Dartmouth students, the organization is a part of the Tucker Foundation's Dartmouth Community Services program. Since its inception, SFH has been providing free hot meals at The Edge, Dartmouth's Episcopalian house, every Friday night.
For Ashley Zuzek '09, one of Students Fighting Hunger's student coordinators, the group offered a chance to become more involved with the Upper Valley.
"I knew that being at college, I wouldn't really interact with many people outside of our school," Zuzek said. "I didn't want to limit myself to that population; I wanted to interact more with the community."
It is this interaction with the community at large that sets SFH apart. They are the only organization on campus that deals specifically with hunger-related issues in the Upper Valley, and alleviating the strains of poverty on low-income families and individuals.
According to Zuzek, "most student organizations do wonderful things for people in Biloxi or Africa, but there are not so many organizations that focus specifically on the Upper Valley."
Kyle Sherry '09 echoed this sentiment.
"I can't think of any organizations that have the same drive, no one else deals with local hunger issues," Sherry said. "Students Fighting Hunger is an integral part of Dartmouth Community Services."
Yet perhaps on account of this local focus, most of the student body is unfamiliar with the work that Students Fighting Hunger does.
"As a Dartmouth student, I knew nothing about Students Fighting Hunger," Greg Pence '06, a community service advisor for the Tucker Foundation, said.
"I think there is minimal campaigning done in order to recruit across campus to help with cooking meals," he said.
Pence added that as an advisor, he has seen the good that Students Fighting Hunger does in the community.
"The concept of community, one in which it is inclusive and transparent, is definitely supported by Students Fighting Hunger," he said. "You have many different people that represent a cross section of wealth, and they come together, across age and religion. There's no proselytizing that happens, it's just a place for people to meet and eat."
As for the future, the program has no plans for expansion beyond what they are already doing.
"I wouldn't say [future change] is impossible," said Zuzek. "But for now, we're just going to stick to our Friday dinners."
