Temple freshman uses extra meal swipes to feed the homeless
In the spirit of giving back, one Temple student proves that it’s always possible to help people in need
AaronRey Ebreo, a freshman at Temple University, is proving that it is possible to start giving back at any season, not only on Thanksgiving.
Aaron Rey Ebreo, Gianna Goldey, John Ranjo and Luke Rothenheber went down to Chinatown in order to donate boxes of cereal to the homeless in the area.
On Monday, AaronRey posted this post on the Class of 2020 page where he encouraged people to participate on this special mission of his.
According to Recycling Works, the average college student generates 142 pounds of food waste a year.
Over the past few weeks, AaronRey had the idea to use the leftover meal swipes from his Premium 25 meal plan to help the Philadelphia homeless – people who could benefit from the food students usually throw away or don’t even get to use on their meal plan.
While everyone has their own reasoning to give back, AaronRey’s reason hits very close to home.
His father was homeless while he lived in New York City.
“He told me how difficult life was and how much he struggled. He encouraged me to help the homeless in any way that I could.”
AaronRey stressed how he would rather have this be an informal thing happening each week along with people from Temple that want to help out, rather than transforming it into an official campus organization.
“I feel like if it becomes formal, then it won’t be as sincere. This is just me being real wanting to help other people. I saw people stocking up on two hundred dollars worth of food for themselves, and that made me think about the possibilities of giving that out since I would never eat all of that myself.”
While in Chinatown, it was not hard to spot homeless people that were clearly looking for help. The process ran smoothly and enjoyed very positive feedback from both the people receiving help and others watching. Gianna Goldey, one of the participants, was particularly touched by people’s reactions.
“It really puts thing into perspective when you realize that not only do these people have themselves to take care of, but many have children they’re responsible for as well,” said Golden.
“It’s one thing to feel thankful for what you have when you see a person’s eyes light up at the sight of free cereal, but once you understand that you’re capable of using your advantage to help out others, that’s when I think real changes can happen.”