DATE: November 17, 2008

CONTACT: Katey Scanlon, 703-655-1421
kscanlo@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, 864-656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Student organization fights hunger with grilled cheese sandwiches

CLEMSON – A grilled cheese sandwich—a comfort food, the kind of food that makes you feel good. A student organization at Clemson University is turning this lunchtime staple into a solution for global hunger.

Students in FeelGood cook up grilled cheese sandwiches every Wednesday, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the loggia of the University Union. Sandwiches are available for a donation—there is no set amount, just whatever “makes you feel good.” Proceeds from the sandwich sales go to The Hunger Project. The Hunger Project does not believe food or money handouts end hunger but rather that it is through investment in strategies that create self-reliance.

“Our goal is to end world hunger, and we don’t believe that is an idea that is overly optimistic or far-fetched,” said Katey Scanlon, a senior marketing major from Arlington, Va., and president of FeelGood.

Last year, FeelGood raised $4,000 from sandwich sales alone. Now in its second year, the grilled cheese sandwiches are even more popular. Besides its regular Wednesday sales, FeelGood also makes sandwiches every home football Saturday in the Fraternity and Sorority Housing on the Quad, and participates in other campus activities, include St. Jude’s Up Til Dawn, Dance Marathon and the Greek Bowl.

Scanlon said that the group sells 100 sandwiches on an average Wednesday and that people have donated up to $45 for a grilled cheese. Bread for the sandwiches is donated by Bloom grocery store, and Aramark provides the cheese, enabling the group to donate all proceeds to the Hunger Project.

“A lot of people want to make a difference in the world, but they don’t know how,” Scanlon said. “We give them an easy way to invest in something that does make a difference.”

Out of 19 FeelGood chapters around the country, Clemson’s chapter ranked third in fund raising last year and was the fastest growing chapter in the nation.

“Having FeelGood be so successful proves that Clemson University can have a huge impact on the global community,” said Scanlon.

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