The seventh annual NOVA SERVES was held January 18th at the Alexandria Campus in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service. More than 300 volunteers spent their holiday together in the spirit of service by packaging over 24,000 meals kits in partnership with the Stop Hunger Now organization. Canned food and winter coats were also collected for local charitable organizations.

NOVA College President, Dr. Scott Ralls, praised the volunteers, faculty, staff, students and community members for their dedication and willingness to serve. Dr. Ralls emphasized the importance of service and cited one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes, “Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?.

This year, the Rotary Club of West Springfield donated funds to the event, which allowed volunteers to assemble 9,000 additional meals.

Stop Hunger Now works with international partners that ship and distribute the meals to communities in need. The majority of Stop Hunger Now’s meals supply school lunch programs. NOVA SERVES has helped Stop Hunger Now distribute food to communities in Panama, Haiti, Nicaragua and Philippines.

Since 2010, approximately 3,200 volunteers have participated in NOVA SERVES.