Student groups break bread for charitable causes

Georgia DuCharme, a member of FeelGood, reminisced about a grilled cheese sandwich gone wrong as she pre-made sandwiches to sell the following afternoon.

“It was called the ‘wet dog,’” DuCharme said, describing a sandwich recipe that called for wet ingredients. “It just didn’t work.”

Pitt’s FeelGood and Challah for Hunger are two student organizations that satisfy students’ appetite to help combat hunger locally and internationally. FeelGood collects suggested $3 donations for grilled cheese sandwiches on Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Nordy’s Place. Challah for Hunger sells various flavors of braided bread for $4 on Fridays at 11:30 a.m. on the lower level of the William Pitt Union.

The two organizations partnered up on Thursday during FeelGood’s normal hours to make a sweet sandwich combining FeelGood’s apples and cinnamon sugar and Challah for Hunger’s apple-cinnamon challah bread. 

FeelGood donates 100 percent of its profits to The Hunger Project, a global nonprofit that aims to use sustainable methods to reduce hunger in African, South Asian and Latin American countries. Pitt’s FeelGood also belongs to a global nonprofit dedicated to combating hunger that has chapters on 23 college campuses.

“When we go to national FeelGood events, we get to hear stories of how people have helped people [in third-world countries] become really successful, amazing people because of what The Hunger Project has done, and I think that’s really cool,” DuCharme said.

“It is so easy to say, ‘I’m making sandwiches,’” he added. “It’s only $3, but its adds up. It’s mind-blowing to see what sandwiches can do.”

Brad Hanlon, a member of FeelGood, said the group chooses not to donate to communities closer to Pittsburgh because “there are already so many organizations already doing that.” 

Hanlon buys topping ingredients and meets with the group for food preparation on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Nordy’s Place.

“We mostly just cut up the fruit and vegetables and maybe cut bread as needed, and then we also grill the onions at prep,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon said the group places a donations jar at its weekly events to collect funds that are separate from donations collected for grilled cheese sandwiches, which are used to partially cover sandwich ingredients. Student Government Board funding covers the remainder of the group’s deli costs.

Hanlon, a sophomore global studies and history major, added that the group buys ingredients at the IGA Market on Forbes and Stamoolis Brothers Co., a Greek and Mediterranean food shop in the Strip District.

“That way, we can still donate 100 percent of the profits from making the grilled cheese to the Hunger Project,” Hanlon said.

The club uses the donations to make made-to-order sandwiches that feature a unique variety of toppings, such as cinnamon apples and green jalapeno peppers. 

DuCharme said local bakeries, including Mancini’s Bread Co. in the Strip District and Panera Bread in Oakland, donate bread for the sandwiches. 

For the volunteers, FeelGood’s enterprise is more than a matter of bread and deli products. 

“The way it was explained to me is like the proverb: ‘You teach a man how to fish, and he will never go hungry,’” Hanlon said.

FeelGood isn’t alone in on-campus efforts to increase world hunger awareness.

Members of Challah for Hunger also bake and then sell fresh bread in the William Pitt Union on Fridays.

Challah for Hunger is a national non-for-profit organization that has roughly 60 active chapters at colleges across the country. While anyone can join the organization, it’s also connected with the Jewish community. Members of the Jewish community often eat challah on their Shabbat, which runs from Friday to Saturday night.

“I’m Jewish, and this is a part of my culture,” Jenna Steinbrink, a volunteer at Challah for Hunger and a freshman marketing major, said. “It’s a nice way to be reminded of my culture while at school.”

According to its website, Challah for Hunger donates 50 percent of profits to the American Jewish World Service and 50 percent to local organizations. Pitt’s chapter is affiliated with Hillel, the Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh located on Forbes Avenue.

Pitt’s Challah for Hunger donates locally to the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry, a member agency of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank located on Hazelwood Avenue. Internationally, according to Steinbrink, the national organization donates money to help with the crisis in Sudan. 

Hannah Roberts, an officer in Challah for Hunger, said the organization started back up two years ago after a hiatus in operation, and she’s been volunteering since her freshman year.

“When they started out, they just baked about 20 challahs a week, and now we bake about 90 challahs a week,” Roberts, a junior communication science and disorders major, said. 

Danielle Peckman, another Challah for Hunger volunteer, said her time working with the organization has been more than valuable. 

“This has been a really rewarding experience for me and helps me get closer to my goals. It has definitely added to my experience here at Pitt,” Peckman, a sophomore developmental psychology major, said.

Making the challah each week is no easy task. The group bakes in three shifts. First, group members mix the ingredients and place them in the proofing oven where the dough rises. Then, they knead and braid the dough. Last, they bake it.

The challah-making process isn’t foolproof, however. 

Roberts described a time when a student group was helping the organization bake bread. 

“The recipe said 24 cups of flour. They put in 24 cups of sugar. We had to throw it out,” she said.

Both Challah for Hunger and FeelGood have a wide selection of flavors and sandwich varieties.

Challah for Hunger has featured pesto, cinnamon sugar and chocolate chip challah bread. 

FeelGood’s menu features a sandwich called the Panther Pizza, which has “marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese grilled to perfection on gourmet bread,” Hanlon said, adding that it’s one of his personal favorites.

It’s the experiences and opportunities to help make the world a better place that seem to be the driving force behind the members getting involved in both FeelGood and Challah for Hunger.

“I met all these people in FeelGood and they are all really cool, passionate people. And it just so happens that this group of people also wants to work to end world hunger,” DuCharme said.