Each fall, members of the Elon University community come together for the event to help fight food insecurity across the globe.
The Rise Against Hunger event, hosted by Elon Volunteers! in Sept. 2025, brought together nearly 200 volunteers who collectively packed 22,680 meals in just a few hours, enough to provide food security for a child for more than a year.
Each fall, members of the Elon University community come together for the event to help fight food insecurity across the globe. The event is centered around packaging meals that are sent to a different country in need each year.
Lauren Klappholz ‘26, a psychology and human service studies double major and the executive director of education and communication for the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, is deeply involved in Elon Volunteers, mainly through working with the Salvation Army Red Shield program. Klappholz has been participating in the event since her first year at Elon, and in her leadership role, helped facilitate the event this year.
“Rise Against Hunger is an incredible event where we package meals in two shifts for a different country every year,” said Klappholz. “The event is so lively and fun, and I am so sad this was my last one. We also get a great range of engagement during this event with people from athletics to fraternities. It’s overall just a wonderful event.”
Abby Wiatrek, assistant director of the Kernodle Center, played a key role in coordinating this year’s Rise Against Hunger event. She serves as the professional staff member who oversees Elon Volunteers! and specifically oversees the Campus Kitchen program, which is closely connected to Rise Against Hunger. Campus Kitchen is an ongoing initiative where students volunteer at Lakeside Dining Hall kitchen to prepare meals using locally grown produce collected by volunteers at Loy Farm. These meals are then distributed to Allied Churches of Alamance County, which serves Alamance County, directly addressing local food insecurity.
Together, both Campus Kitchen and Rise Against Hunger exemplify Elon Volunteers! commitment to service, combining local and global efforts to combat hunger and make a meaningful impact.
“The partnership with the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, EV!, Campus Kitchen and Rise Against Hunger has been incredibly successful in the way that it gives students a space to engage in service within the first few weeks of classes,” said Wiatrek. “An opportunity like this also gives students a chance to think about how challenges within our own community and globally can find solutions with collaboration and group efforts.”
Rise Against Hunger is more than just an event; it’s a celebration of service, community and the belief that small acts of kindness, when multiplied, can have a global impact.