Student’s Book Aims to Feed the Hungry, Increase Awareness

The 19-year-old Duquesne University student has written a children’s book called “Henry is Hungry,” which she distributes for free to libraires and schools across the country, asking for them to hold a food drive in return.
 
“The book teaches kids about what a food bank is, how they can donate to a food drive, or even host their own food drive,” said Leventopoulos, a first-year student majoring in biochemistry. “It also points out that even people in their own communities can be food insecure.”
 
The response to the book has been terrific, she said, noting that children become excited to help after reading the book.
 
“I've gotten a lot of feedback from librarians saying that kids come up to them and tell them, ‘Hey, I want to try and have a food drive,’” she said. “They are really excited to help out and donate food. And they are so ecstatic to be helping others.  It just warms my heart so much.”
 
The effort exemplifies the work of Duquesne’s students in helping create equity and opportunity in the region.
 
Leventopoulos, a Pittsburgh native who held her first food drive when she was in third grade, notes that creating awareness about food insecurity helps people to think about the problem differently.
 
“When it comes to food insecurity, people may think that the only people who are experiencing it are far removed from them, like people experiencing homelessness or people who don't have a good job,” she said. “But it's actually the people all around you in your communities who could be experiencing these issues. And whenever I talk with people, I relay that information to them and help them see the issue in a new light, and they realize that maybe this is something they should care more about.”

Duquesne University

Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and horizon-expanding education. A campus of nearly 8,200 graduate and undergraduate students, Duquesne prepares students by having them work alongside faculty to discover and reach their goals. The University's academic programs, community service and commitment to equity and opportunity in the Pittsburgh region have earned national acclaim.

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