Volunteerism and Service Learning Support partnered with the Student Government Association and the KSU Homecoming Committee to sponsor “Seeds of Hope,” a seed-packing event on Sunday, Oct. 9.
“We are partnering with an organization called Seeds of Hope,” said Dawn Edwards, the program coordinator of volunteerism. “They go every year to Malawi and Liberia, and they bring seeds with them to promote sustainability in those parts of Africa.”
About 115 volunteers attended, despite the fact that this was the first time the event was held on a Sunday.
“We have had a really great turnout, and we are super excited,” Edwards said.
The event worked much like an assembly line. Some volunteers packed carrot and pepper seeds into sandwich bags. Runners then moved the filled bags to another group of volunteers, who counted them and packed them into boxes for shipping.
“I am always involved with [volunteerism], so I look for opportunities like this,” said senior computer science major Begad Shaheen.
The charity organization Seeds of Hope aims to provide residents of Malawi and Liberia with resources for sustainable family and community gardens. Each garden will feed six to eight people for a year, according to the event’s flier, as well as produce seeds for the future planting season.
“This is my second time volunteering, and I feel like I am helping my fellow African- countrymen since I am from Ghana,” said junior Jennifer Yankah. “It is like helping a neighbor.”
Future Volunteerism and Service Learning Support events are listed on the organization’s website, along with registration instructions.
