Students, Alumni Help Feed Those in Need Over Thanksgiving Holiday

On Thursday, hundreds of people received a special Thanksgiving meal thanks to a local religious institutions and community groups.

As reported by KMTV, one of those locations, St. Peter's Church, had a helping hand from current and former UNO students to help prepare the food in anticipation of dozens of guests on the holiday.

The effort started last year when Jacques Musavyimana, a specialist for the Thompson Learning Community and UNO alumni, reached out to members of UNO Students Against Hunger, an organization he founded as a student in the TRIO Project Achieve learning community.

"UNO Student Against Hunger’s goal is to educate and fight hunger," he explains. "Which is why we help the St. Peters church prepare Thanksgiving dinner for homeless people - so they can enjoy the holiday like other families around the country."

TRIO Project Achieve, which is celebrating its 25th year at UNO, is part of a federally-funded student support program for first-generation, low-income and disabled students. The goal is to help get students earn their college degree.

"Community is incredibly important to Project Achieve and the success of our students," explains Shannon Teamer, director of the program. "Through volunteering and shared service, Project Achieve students form strong, life-long relationships with one another."

It is because of those connections that Musavyimana was able to gather enough people to give several hours of thier time on Wednesday night to ensure that everyone had access to friends, family and food on Thanksgiving.

"This project is very moving," Musavyimana says. "It means a lot when I know that I’m participating in making a Thanksgiving dinner for those in need."