The Third Annual Hunger March, hosted by the Committee of 19, is going in a new direction.
Instead of its regular journey of political activism to Montgomery, Hunger March 2011 will go to Notasulga for a day of community service and involvement.
The 25-mile round-trip journey will leave Auburn April 1 and return April 3 with all traveling done on foot.
Once they reach Notasulga, participants will stay the night and spend Saturday doing various service projects within the community.
Participants will divide up and work on various projects, including two roof repairs, installing insulation and handing out food.
The marchers will stay two nights at the Notasulga United Methodist Church, where there will be an open community forum and dinner Saturday night.
For the past two years, the Hunger March has been a 60-mile trek to Montgomery, where marchers made a public statement about hunger on the steps of the state Capitol.
Clark Solomon, senior in political science and president of the Committee of 19, said the decision to go to Notasulga came with careful consideration and the desire to focus more on service than politics.
After discussing the idea with potential sponsors, professors and members of the committee, Notasulga emerged as the destination for 2011.
"We didn't feel like we had a great, lasting impact for the Hunger March, so we decided to go to Notasulga where there's already initiatives going on," Solomon said.
"By walking there, hopefully we could start a long-term relationship with the local community."
Alabama Rural Ministries, which already does outreach work in the area, will work Saturday with some marchers to help local families with home repairs.
Lisa Pierce, director and founder of ARM, will be present Saturday, helping transport materials and working with one of the groups.
"I've been associated with what they've been doing for the last four or five years, as far as their extension work and their partnership with the U.N.," Pierce said. "So I was really excited when Clark called and said, 'Hey, can we do this partnership?'"
Solomon and the Committee of 19 hope to continue working with the community in Notasulga with different departments doing different projects throughout the year.
"The idea for the long-term stuff is that maybe every committee or group in the Committee of 19 will have their own projects that they are doing in this community," Solomon said, "whether it's architecture or business or any other school here at Auburn."
The rural community focus of the 2011 Hunger March is something both Solomon and Pierce believe is a worthy cause.
"There's a realization that a lot of times, some of the families that get hit with these hunger things are rural," Pierce said.
Restaurants in the area including Mellow Mushroom, Mike and Ed's Barbecue and Shakey's donated food, and companies including Sam's and Kroger donated gift cards.
Paulette Dilworth, assistant vice president of access and community affairs, gave the group a $2,000 grant, which Solomon said will most likely be used for future community-led projects.
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