Smith Undergrads Join Terps Against Hunger

Hundreds of volunteers packed more than 28,000 meals on April 24, 2018, as part of a weeklong Smith Pride initiative at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The schoolwide Terps Against Hunger event, launched by the Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA), was the first of its kind at the Smith School. The event served as a way to connect the Smith community to the larger efforts of a campus-wide charitable endeavor, according to SUSA. The event served as a catalyst for turning Smith students into not only career-minded, but also civic-minded individuals, promoting the Smith values of community development and engagement.

The event’s corporate sponsor was Target. Donning red T-shirts with the familiar white bulls-eye logo, more than 20 recruiters from Target pitched in at the charity event and interacted with the student volunteers. The informal setting allowed Smith students to foster relationships with industry professionals and several volunteers.

Graham Schuckman, a finance major who coordinated the event, said students enjoyed the opportunity to meet with an employer in a setting outside an official corporate overview presentation. He said Terps Against Hunger hopes to hold a similar event in fall 2018 to provide more students with the chance to expand their network as well as engage in some friendly competition to increase the number of meals packed.

Schuckman is a member of the SUSA Community Service Committee and also serves as the Treasurer for Terps Against Hunger. He hopes that in future years the event will continue to grow and allow more Smith students to participate in an evening of service.

Terps Against Hunger works to build a broad coalition of university community members to help fill more of the meal packages that can be distributed across the region. The 13.9-ounce vacuum-sealed packets only require the addition of boiling water to provide a complete and nutritious rice-soy protein meal.

The packets produced at this event will be donated to the UMD Campus Pantry and the Capital Area Food Bank to assist those struggling with food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., region.