From November 4th to November 8th, At Your Service (AYS) and Encouraging Altruism in Teens (E.A.T.) will be hosting Altruism Week. This week aims to promote altruism, which is the idea of being selfless in order to help others. Both clubs are advocates for community service and helping others, so it is a perfect way for the two clubs to encourage the CdM student body to participate in giving back.

The leadership clubs on campus aren’t often seen working together and when E.A.T. President and Founder Jaycie Carter was asked why E.A.T. and AYS decided to work together, she said, “All the leadership programs have the same message when you break them down: leadership. They have different means of approaching it, but they are all here to encourage students to be their best selves, whether it be by being kind, having integrity, or contributing to the community. There’s a really tense rivalry between all of them, and it was a rough environment to adapt to when I petitioned for E.A.T. to become a leadership club three years ago. At the start of this year, it was clear that the rising presidents of leadership clubs wanted to change this competitive atmosphere. AYS is about community service, E.A.T. is about putting others first, and Altruism Week is the merging of these two concepts. I was so excited when Michelle Won (the President of AYS) asked if AYS could contribute to Altruism Week this year because of the great campaign we could create, as well as the strong relationship we could begin to build.”

Throughout the week, there will be a food drive. All food donated will be going to the Second Harvest Food Bank. On Monday, food can be dropped off in the pool parking lot from 8:30 am to 8:45 am and 1:40 pm to 2:00 pm, or in the enclave parking lot from 3:00 pm to 3:20 pm. For Tuesday through Thursday, food will be collected in the pool parking lot from 7:20 am to 7:45 am and 1:20 pm to 1:40 pm, or in the enclave parking lot from 3:00 pm to 3:20 pm. Some of Second Harvest Food Banks most needed items include peanut or other seed butters, canned vegetables, rice, canned fruit, dried or canned beans, whole grain cereal, whole grain pasta, canned or boxed soup, canned meat or fish, and healthy snacks such as low-sugar granola bars, raw nuts, or dried fruit. For more information on the food drive and Altruism Week, check out @cdm.e.a.t and @cdmatyourservice on Instagram for more details!