When people gather together to make a difference, good things happen. That was the vibe in the Carrington Gym on Thursday as Averett University and the Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) sponsored Harvest Pack, which has grown into a major student engagement activity on Averett’s Main Campus.

A group of more than 230 volunteers packed the gym to package over 20,000 meals that will be given to God’s Storehouse in Danville to distribute within the local community. Students from all areas of the University, including many athletic teams and organizations, as well as some faculty and staff, took part in the event that not only provided a much-needed resource, but was also a great bonding experience for all involved.

Projects like this are essential to God’s Storehouse, which has seen an uptick in community need this year. The good done today will help stock shelves that allow the organization to help combat food insecurity in the region.

“This event is extremely important for God’s Storehouse,” Assistant Director of God’s Storehouse Rachel McKinney said. “This is an area that has a high amount of food insecurity.

“Averett and the CCECC have always been beneficial to God’s Storehouse…We have been running low on food, particularly shelf-stable food like rice, so this will be incredible for our clients. Last month alone, we served just over 4,000. We appreciate Averett so much.”

The national Harvest Pack organization, based in Minneapolis, is a non-profit that focuses on fighting hunger in the U.S. It also works internationally in the battle against food insecurity.

“We love the involvement with Averett University,” said Brad Fleming, partnership manager for Harvest Pack. “This is our fourth year working with Averett and, after today, we will have packaged 80,000 meals by Averett University and Averett students. These types of partnerships help Harvest Pack provide more than 11 million meals this year.

“The thing I really enjoy about this, is lives are changed on both sides. The people working to make a difference are feeling good about themselves, but you have folks who may never meet any of these students who will get a hot, healthy meal. Lives are changed all the way around.”