10/10/12 jgm

HAYS, Kan. -- As a part of a state-wide food packaging event, SWIPE, Fort Hays State University will package 100,000 meals for the starving people in the Horn of Africa on Saturday, Oct. 13, in Forsyth Library.

The Center for Civic Leadership and Forsyth Library will combine resources to support the Numana Swipe Out Hunger Campaign. Numana is an international hunger relief organization based in El Dorado.

SWIPE kicks off World Food Week on the FHSU campus Oct. 14 through Oct. 21.

A SWIPE event is a fun, hands-on way for students and volunteers from the community to make an impact on thousands of lives in a short amount of time. Volunteers gather around tables and package rice, soy, freeze-dried beans and a vitamin blend into packages, each of which feeds six people. In just an hour, 10 people can package more than 1,200 meals.

"About 45 volunteers are needed to work the event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help set up, monitor and tear down," said Kelly Nuckolls, Global Leadership Project student coordinator. "In order to package 100,000 meals, we will need about 450 volunteers to help with packaging. Anyone ages 3 and up can volunteer to help package the meals."

To learn more about the SWIPE Out Hunger Campaign, visit http://swipeouthunger.com. For registration forms or more information about the event, email Nuckolls at glp@fhsu.edu or stop by Custer Hall, room 206.

Other events during World Food Week are:

The "Farm Bill Finding Common Ground" forum will be 12 to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, in the Stouffer Lounge in the Memorial Union. Moderator Larry Dreiling, senior field editor of the High Plains Journal, will explore the controversy behind the Farm Bill related to hunger relief and agriculture. Lunch will be provided for the first 20 people.

In recognition of United Nations World Food Day, students from the AGRI 620 Cereal, Fiber and Oil Crops course will give a Times Talk on "Recognizing Hunger and Addressing the Need" from 12 to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Forsyth Library. Virtual students can listen in live at fhsuguides.fhsu.edu/fhsulive.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of FHSU's first campus food pantry will be 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Forsyth Library.