Belk College Graduate Students Give Back

UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business graduate students recently had the opportunity to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHFBM), located just a few miles from campus in Uptown Charlotte. Second Harvest Food Bank serves 19 counties in North and South Carolina, providing meals, advocacy, hunger education, and community partnerships to help eliminate hunger and serve people in need. They operate a regional distribution warehouse that supplies grocery items to charitable agencies that and, in 2018, SHFBM distributed over 54 million pounds of food and household items from the Charlotte warehouse. 

Our group was placed in the food donation warehouse and was responsible for inspecting and sorting large pallets of food that had been received from their various donation partners. The morning flew by in a flurry of organized chaos and competitive canned food sorting. This volunteer event provided a great opportunity to make a positive difference in the local community, while simultaneously networking and engaging with fellow students. Earning your graduate degree is about more than simply showing up to class and passing exams, it is about fostering well-rounded professional growth and meaningful personal experiences. Interacting with other students outside of the classroom creates the chance to expand your perspective and connect to the greater Charlotte community.

In response to the positive feedback from the event, we plan to coordinate a group volunteer event for students next semester as well! We would love to see you there.