NYC Gazette

St. John's University students collaborated with employees from Protiviti, a business consultancy firm, to pack over 20,000 meals for families in need overseas. This effort was part of the "I On Hunger" event held on November 25 at the university. The event is aligned with Protiviti's ongoing commitment to addressing global food insecurity and involved cooperation with Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina.

Joseph A. Tarantino, President and CEO of Protiviti and a St. John's alumnus, participated in the event alongside more than 100 students. Mr. Tarantino highlighted the significance of the event by stating, “It’s Thanksgiving week, and most of us will have at least one big meal... We are so happy to have this event at St. John’s and to shine a light on food insecurity around the world.”

Protiviti has been working with Rise Against Hunger for over ten years and has packed more than 16 million meals during that time. At this particular event, volunteers efficiently packed 20,088 meals within two hours.

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John's University, welcomed participants by emphasizing shared values between the university and Protiviti.

Students expressed their enthusiasm for participating in such an impactful activity during Thanksgiving week. Amena Novruz commented on her participation: “Food is plentiful in my life, but we know people are suffering from food scarcity.” Rujina Begun also shared her motivation: “I wanted to give something back to the community at this time of year.”

The volunteers worked diligently until all boxes were filled by 3:30 p.m., half an hour ahead of schedule. Steve Carballo from Rise Against Hunger kept everyone informed about their progress throughout the day.

Rashaun Gardner reflected on his involvement by saying: “Instead of a once-a-year thing, we want to make awareness of food insecurity a daily thing.”