A Season for Sharing
By Luke Malski (MAT ’07)
Coordinator, Fuller Food Distribution Program
Fuller’s Food Distribution Program was a valuable resource for my wife and me after we moved from Michigan to California, with no income and no idea how we would support ourselves. After starting my master’s degree at Fuller I began working with the Food Distribution Program, serving fellow students and other jobless folks like myself. I have been working with the program now for over two years and have since become very passionate about issues of domestic hunger.
In addition to Fuller students operating on a shoestring, many of our neighbors suffer from an inability to obtain adequate food. There are, in fact, nearly half a million households in Los Angeles County that are at risk of going hungry. It has always been a passion of mine to serve the less fortunate, and it is a privilege to be able to serve both students and the larger Pasadena community in this capacity.
The Food Distribution Program was started by international students at Fuller who wished to serve other international students experiencing difficulty with the cost of living and studying in California. After establishing a partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Fuller students also managed to secure a membership in the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program. As time passed, however, the need for such service beyond the Fuller community was recognized and the program was opened to any qualifying low-income family in Pasadena, in addition to Fuller students.
This Christmas season is an important time to pause and reflect. In the past year, many families have lost homes and jobs, food prices have soared, and the cost of living has increased. Charities throughout Los Angeles are experiencing increased numbers of households seeking services. Our Food Distribution Program has grown by nearly 50% in the past year. As jobs become scarce and we all feel the effects of our economic downturn, it is my hope that these difficult times will bring communities like ours together.
The Food Distribution Program enables us to offer hope and share our resources with those both within and outside of our seminary walls. Not only are we reaching out to others, but we are bringing the community and Fuller together in this work. There is no better time than now to celebrate the birth of Christ by modeling his selfless love and giving back to our friends and neighbors in need.
Read more about Fuller's Food Distribution Program.
Read more Christmas reflections from Fuller faculty, alumni/ae, staff, and students.