Collegiate Times

As the spring semester comes to a close, many Virginia Tech students are left with hefty balances on their meal plans.

This spring in particular, as many students have left campus early and others have spent more time at home, spending the leftover flex and dining dollars presents a dilemma.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, along with the Office of Student Programs, is giving students a chance to do something productive with those leftover flex dollars. The Flex Out Hunger program, now in its seventh year, allows students to donate any amount of their remaining meal plan money to the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program, located in Christiansburg.

This year, there was concern about possible lack of support for the program, given the recent events on Virginia Tech’s campus. However, both Student Programs and SAE decided to continue with Flex Out Hunger, expressing confidence that these tragic events would not break the giving spirit of Tech’s student body.

“The program was set up by Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 2001, and the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program was chosen as our primary philanthropy,” said Taylor Williams, junior marketing major and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. “Flex Out Hunger brings a good amount of money into the MCEAP, so the program gets a lot of attention.”

Tables have been set up from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. outside all dining halls, where students can stop and make contributions. The top three donors will receive prizes provided by the program’s sponsors — Coca-Cola, the Village at Blacksburg and Sharkey’s. These sponsors are crucial to the success of the program.

“We require funds to pay the initial costs of a program like this. The sponsors pay for anything we need for the event, including prizes,” said Nelson Cutler, Flex Out Hunger Coordinator for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. “This year, the biggest donor will receive an iPod and second and third place donors will receive bikes.”

Since beginning in 2001, Flex Out Hunger has donated about $60,000 to the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program. MCEAP President Philip Pappas stressed the importance of the program to his organization.

“Flex Out Hunger has a big impact on us because we use that money as a supplement during months when donations are low,” Pappas said. “During holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, donations are high — but we depend on drives like this as a supplement.”

The MCEAP fund is designed to help the local community.

“(The MCEAP) is an emergency fund to help meet the needs of low income, unemployed and handicapped individuals in Montgomery County. We have food, clothing, and furniture banks and we help people cover expenses including rent and utilities,” Pappas said.

Because dining plans do not roll over from the spring semester to the fall, donating to Flex Out Hunger is a great option for students with money remaining.

“If students do not spend or donate their leftover money, they will lose it,” Cutler said. “This is a great way for students to do something charitable before they leave campus.”