What IS Hunger Clean Up?

Hunger Clean-Up is Marquette’s largest annual one-day service project. Each spring, Marquette students form “teams” of about 10 or 15 people. In the weeks leading up to the event, teams register together online and then do a small amount of fundraising in the form of “pledges” for the service they will do on they day of the event.

Then one Saturday in April, (this year - April 19th, 2008) funds are turned in, and each team goes into the city for an afternoon of service and relationship building.

Groups are taken to sites all across the Milwaukee community to focus on “cleaning up” the city by serving at places like homeless shelters, elementary schools, and community organizations in order to get at the root of issues associated with hunger. Through this day of service, students strengthen Marquette’s connection to the city of Milwaukee.

Funds raised by teams are donated to community agencies who work year round with these issues. Last year alone over 1500 students, faculty and staff participated in Hunger Clean-Up and raised approximately $25,000 to support the work of three community agencies.

Why is Hunger Clean Up Important?

For some students, Hunger Clean-Up is another day to get out with friends and put faith into action through service to the community. For others, Hunger Clean-Up is a first experience with service here at Marquette. The day serves as a “window into service” for many of these students, opening the door to Marquette’s service community of student activists.

After the three or so hours of the event that Saturday, participants return to Marquette’s campus to reflect on their experience and are given the opportunity to commit to continued service to the Milwaukee community and our world by signing on with an existing community service organization on campus.