Lauren Stenger ‘22, shares the lessons learned and impact of her service project, Alone Together.
This summer 25 students were accepted in the CSGC grants program. These grants are funded due to the generous support of the Cost, Earle/Mendillo and Workman families, who established endowment funds to support the community and public service endeavors of future generations of Deerfield students. For more information on these grants please visit: https://deerfield.edu/csgc/grants
This past spring, Kate and I created sweatshirts that promote social distancing, and all of the proceeds went to Convoy of Hope’s 10 Million Meal Challenge. The cost of production was covered by our grant from the Workman family and the CSGC, so with every $40 hoodie purchased, $40 went to providing meals. Convoy of Hope can get one meal with one dollar through partnerships, so donating to them raises the value of the donated money. I am pleased to say that they surpassed the goal of raising 10 million meals, with over 50 million meals given Americans in need!
Providing meals for food insecure Americans through the creation of the Alone Together hoodie taught me so many valuable lessons. I am so grateful that I was able to execute a dream in my mind with the help of the CSGC and the Workman family. Our project provided over 1,500 meals for those around the nation. Coronavirus has brought adversities to every single person, so I am very happy that I was able to lift the weight of food insecurity off a few people’s backs. Not only did the Alone Together project provide meals, but it also educated the customer, who were many people in the Deerfield community. Talking with Kevin Rose, a member of the Convoy of Hope team, was a great way to inform the customer on the importance of service and how they can get involved.
Overall, I am thrilled with the outcome of this service project. It taught me that no matter how daunting a situation may seem, there will always be a way to shine light and relieve even an ounce of the difficulty. Through both my project and my entire experience with the Coronavirus pandemic, I have learned the power of community. Without the support of others, this project would just be a thought in my mind, and no meals would be delivered. Each individual person who purchased a hoodie made a small change, but when we all came together, the impact of that change greatly expands.
