For incoming students, helping the hungry opens doors to new friends, new ways of living and new pathways to learning.
New students package 63,000 meals for the hungry and learn that service is a distinctive component of a Stanford education
Nearly 500 incoming freshmen and transfer students packaged 63,000 meals for the hungry in September as an introduction to public service as a key part of Stanford life.
The event was a way for new students – who come from across the United States and more than 60 countries – to find common ground in Stanford’s commitment to social responsibility. It was designed as a springboard to the many ways Stanford encourages students to find ways to improve the world. Participants learned about the dozens of courses Stanford offers each year that address food insecurity, as well as the university’s own food-sustainability initiatives.
Stanford’s new Cardinal Service is a bold university-wide initiative to elevate and expand service as a distinctive feature of a Stanford education. It offers funding, coursework, advisement, mentorship and quarter-long placements in service projects. Funding is available to make service accessible to all Stanford undergraduates under the auspices of the Haas Center for Public Service, including work-study funding for students receiving financial aid. More than 1,000 Stanford students take part in Haas Center service projects each year.