VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: “A Slice of Hope” initiative steps up to support SNAP difficulties in Syracuse.
Jack Watson: Bologna and cheese make up the sandwiches that students and staff at the Catholic Center assemble for the North Syracuse community. These sandwiches, made monthly after Thursday Mass, are part of the newly renamed “A Slice of Hope” initiative, which aims to connect the campus Catholic community with neighbors beyond the university. Student Vice President of the Catholic Center Evan Fay says the program has become an important way for students to give back.
Evan Fay: “It is just a reminder of what is really important. Being secluded on this campus, and making sandwiches for the north side of Syracuse is a way to remember what is happening locally, and to not get lost in the seclusion on the hill.”
Watson: While A Slice of Hope is a new name for sandwich making here at the Catholic Center, they’ve been providing sandwiches here for numerous years.
Patrick McLaughlin: “The Catholic Center has been doing a monthly sandwich event for the Assumption food pantry for years as far as I know. I guess I don’t know how many years exactly, but it has been going on for quite a while.”
Watson: Even with about 100 students helping knock out around 700 sandwiches, Patrick says preparing these meals is not a simple task.
McLaughlin: “We have to spend a couple of hours laying out the bologna and cheese onto trays so we can have easy access for the sandwich making itself. So we have a small group of student volunteers who come and help with that.”
Watson: As SNAP cuts continue to affect households across Central New York, even after the government reopening, community efforts like this remain essential for families still struggling to access food. Reporting at the Syracuse University Catholic Center, Jack Watson, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — As SNAP benefit cuts continue to strain families across Central New York, students at Syracuse University’s Catholic Center are stepping in to help one sandwich at a time.
Each month after Thursday Mass, students and staff gather inside the center to assemble hundreds of bologna and cheese sandwiches for the North Syracuse community. The effort is part of the newly renamed “Slice of Hope” initiative, which aims to strengthen ties between the campus Catholic community and residents beyond the university.
Evan Fay, the student vice president of the Catholic Center, said the monthly service project helps students stay aware of issues affecting the city around them.
“It is just a reminder of what is really important,” Fay said. “Being secluded on this campus, and making sandwiches for the north side of Syracuse is a way to remember what is happening locally, and to not get lost in the seclusion on the hill.”
While the name is new, the service work is not. Students have been assembling sandwiches for the Assumption Food Pantry for years, said Catholic Center staff member Patrick McLaughlin.
“The Catholic Center has been doing a monthly sandwich event for the Assumption food pantry for years as far as I know,” McLaughlin said. “I guess I don’t know how many years exactly, but it has been going on for quite a while.”
Preparing the meals is no small job. About 100 students help produce roughly 700 sandwiches each month, but the work starts well before they arrive. McLaughlin said volunteers spend hours prepping trays of bologna and cheese to streamline the assembly process.
“We have to spend a couple of hours laying out the bologna and cheese onto trays so we can have easy access for the sandwich making itself,” he said. “So we have a small group of student volunteers who come and help with that.”
With many households still recovering from reduced SNAP benefits even after the federal government reopening, community-led efforts like “Slice of Hope” continue to play a critical role in meeting local food needs.
The Catholic Center plans to continue the monthly event as long as families in the Syracuse area need the support.