To enhance the bond between students and their campus, Grand Valley State University resident assistants make it a priority to put together a host of programs that encourage community involvement. Irada Choudhuri, a first-year RA in Arthur C. Hills Living Center, wanted to do exactly that.

In an effort to get her residents more involved, she began a floor-wide food drive in January. She wanted to host a program where her residents could participate and get involved with the community around them.

After a semester of planning “active” events for her residents, such as watching a documentary or having discussions, Choudhuri decided it was time to get even more active by helping out fellow students.

“These programs are really designed so we can express the values of the liberal education that Grand Valley emphasizes,” Choudhuri said.

In a three-week period, Choudhuri and her 55 fellow residents collected over 300 items of food. The food was donated to the Student Food Pantry in the GVSU Women’s Center.

“I wanted to show (my residents) that they could make a small difference in their community through small actions,” she said. “Those actions can…have an effect in some positive way.”

Choudhuri thought the Student Food Pantry was a good place to donate food because it is part of the GVSU community. Students can walk in and donate food by filling out a form or make arrangements to pick up larger donations by contacting the Women’s Center ahead of time.

“Grand Valley does such a great job for students, especially having that food pantry available,” she said. “It’s a great way for all of us to give back to our school and help our fellow Lakers.”

Opened in 2009, the Student Food Pantry serves to meet the short-term challenges that students may face when it comes to accessing food. Operating solely on donations, the Student Food Pantry allows all students to access the food pantry twice per month with an active student identification.

The food drive was the first event Choudhuri hosted that involved donations, and as a result, student involvement was scarce at first. There were 30 items donated during the first week, but after coming up with an incentive, she saw a considerable shift in interest.

“If you care about something enough and put enough effort into it, it can happen,” Choudhuri said.

For more information about how to donate or pick up food from the Women’s Center Student Food Pantry, visit www.gvsu.edu/women_cen or visit the Women’s Center in Room 1201 of the Kirkhof Center.

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