Hunger Has No Borders

By Carol Elliott | Spring 2017

“Hunger doesn’t always mean that picture of a skinny kid in Ethiopia. It could be a person in rural Kansas whose closest grocery store only has canned goods, and who isn’t getting the right nutrients, either. Hunger is a lot more prevalent than people think.”  — Arianna Rominski

Arianna Rominski (ITM ’17) defines “hunger” broadly. She sees the plight of the many Americans living in food deserts, without ready access to fresh, nutritious ingredients, as clearly as she’s aware of the tragedy of famine and hunger across the globe. As a student, she waged battle by serving as president of Notre Dame’s World Hunger Coalition, a student club in existence for more than 40 years. By encouraging students to skip one meal in the dining halls as part of the Wednesday Lunch Donation, the club raised $31,200 in 2015-16 alone. The funds are donated to hunger relief efforts both locally, such as Unity Gardens and the Common Goods Cooperative Grocery, and globally, including Catholic Relief Services.