The Fall 2020 semester is shaping up to be very different from previous semesters at Millsaps. Though there may be a lot of uncertainty that students are lille wrestling with, the presence of a new organization on campus may soon show its colors and provide a ‘helping hand’ to new and old faces.
Initially established earlier this year, Helping Hand is the newest student-led organization at Millsaps. Although its introduction to the student in February was cut short by the outset of COVID-19, president Brianna Blunt is hopeful they can still complete the group’s semester goals.
“After they would have events on campus and they had extra food, we would send out emails, and we would have containers there for students to come pickup the extra food. That was our main goal – to repurpose waste”, she said when asked about the purpose of Helping Hand.
If there was leftover food after an event, there would essentially be a mass email sent out to the whole student body to come by and get it, with a representative of the organization being there to distribute containers for students to take the food back to their dorms. She explained that another of those purposes was to distribute various items to the student body.
“We had a big event where we donated items from the Cross Methodist Church”, said Blunt. “We had feminine hygiene products, detergents, toothbrushes, toothpaste. We want to secure… I guess you could say necessities for students. Because literally the cost of groceries, hygiene items for a month could be the difference between a textbook, a new tire, medication, so our main goal is to give everyone the same access to stability”.
Morley Chenevert, social media and activities director for Helping Hand, explained that the group plans to hold a similar event at some point this semester, but also hopes to add “masks, hand sanitizer, and lysol’s, as those have become essential in the world we live in today”. Chenevert stated that she is working very closely with her fellow group members to organize a variety of events to build awareness to their mission, such as giveaways and scavenger hunts that follow social distancing guidelines.
“We want to help in as many ways as possible. We just need to know what ways we can help”, Chenevert said in a statement.
Students can follow and keep up with further information regarding these by following the group’s Instagram @helpinghands_msaps. Here they are free to both repost and share ideas that help bring awareness to the group’s efforts and can directly engage with the executive board about what they would like to see.
The organization is also still accepting new members for the Fall semester. Email Brianna Blunt at bluntbj@millsaps.edu for more details.