By: Tamali Smith
On Nov. 14, 2018, The Intercultural Student Association brought the community of Saint Leo together hosting their annual International Food Night. The night was festive, but most of all filled with food.
At the end of the night, ISA had the opportunity to give back by donating the rest of their food to a shelter for abandoned or orphaned kids. The shelter, Youth and Family Alternative, hosts youth from the ages of 11 to 17 years. These children have been either abused or abandoned by their parents or guardians. The shelter provides a haven that helps to nurture and care for these kids while grooming them for the future.
Joseph Fuller, a Saint Leo Alumnist that works closely with YFA: RAP House, as the Youth Development Specialist stated that, “For a lot of the youths who end up in the shelter, having a wide variety of food available to them is comforting and not always something they get to experience. Since the ISA donation was so plentiful, we were able to offer the youths a buffet-style meal for dinner for a couple of days, which was great because they really got to pick and choose their own plates. It was also easier for the staff in preparing the meals.”
Fuller also stated “This is different from the norm since we do heavily rely on food donations for the shelter. Our meals follow (DOH) Department of Health guidelines that require meat, fruit, vegetables, milk/dairy and so on. So, having the variety of international foods helped [to]lighten some of the youths’ moods. A lot of the youths tried the foods, some didn’t like it, but it was still fun for them regardless of the taste.”
When asked if this is something that he is willing to collaborate with ISA for every year he mentioned that he was definitely willing to participate in the future.
Fuller added, “We are able to help out local families in our outreach program. This of course, likewise with the youths at the shelter, was a great changeup. I know the RAP House and our community outreach would love to continue a tradition of accepting the International Food donations from the International Food Night at Saint Leo University. In fact, once we receive and can plan accordingly a little more next year, we can have our own International Food Week at the shelter.”
The president of ISA, Kellie Bertram lamented on the fact that despite ISA being such a small organization it has made an incredible impact on the lives of the persons of the RAP House and YFA.
Bertram said that, “Annually, there is a pile-up of food and so this year when they had the opportunity to give back, it made a huge difference. Since it was Thanksgiving, it was wonderful to know that we not only had the chance to feed the Saint Leo community but also had a widespread impact by having the ability to feed the kids living at the shelter.”
Bertram was thankful for the ability to give to the less fortunate children of the shelter, thereby adding the group to the Saint Leo community.
