Work to Be Proud Of: Combating Child Hunger

I have a strong belief that being a student doesn't mean you just should just make student work. When any of our team sits down to do a project (be it a print ad, television spot or digital campaign) we go into with the mindset of making work that transcends the classroom - and when it does it feels great.

In a multimedia class we were presented with a list of topics to produce a multimedia public service announcement about. We initially chose amateur athletics on campus but ended jumping ship to a more compelling piece about child hunger in Oregon. What started as a class project quickly evolved into something more.

Our research led us to realizations that none of us could comprehend at the time: 29.2% of children in Oregon are faced with food insecurity. Many students here at the University of Oregon have younger siblings but it was a safe bet that very few knew of this staggering number.

We produced a 1-minute spot that highlighted a young twenty-something and his difficulties with hunger as a child, and expanded it to his fear for his brother having to endure the same issues. It remained a simplistic, straight-forward piece that utilized a strong monologue and spotlighting. Our goal was to generate awareness about the issue at hand and call for people to donate time and resources - and it worked.

Our story reached a local member of the community who just couldn't believe the numbers either - and she decided to do something about it. She is currently in the midst of organizing a coalition against child hunger here in Lane County, and is actively working to execute it soon. We couldn't be happier that what started as a classroom project struck a chord with members outside of it and look forward to assisting in future campaign executions.

I can't thank our team members enough, Lindsey Tucker and Jane O'Neil - you rocked it. It couldn't have been possible without the expertise that Jourdain May from Eugenius Media brought to the table. I really believe we have something here and thanks to you guys we are seeing it unfold.