After personally dealing with hunger, Patrick Alvarez is working to ensure a Thanksgiving dinner for members of the Syracuse community.

‘I have lived in homeless shelters, and hunger has been a societal issue in which my family and I have struggled with,’ said Alvarez, founder and president of Project Feed Me.

Syracuse University student organization Project Feed Me, together with Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, will hold its third annual basketball tournament from 3 to 8 p.m. in Archbold Gymnasium this Saturday. The proceeds from this event will go toward funding Thanksgiving dinners for low-income families in the Syracuse area.

Alvarez said it was SU’s passion for basketball and desire to increase awareness about hunger and poverty on campus and in the community that led him to start the tournament in 2008.

Anyone is welcome to attend the event, but there was a Tuesday deadline to participate in the basketball tournament, Alvarez said. In addition, there will be a slam-dunk competition judged by SU basketball players, entertainment by the university’s student dance troupe Kalabash, a raffle, and water and chips for sale.

There are 12 teams, each with five people, playing in the tournament. Registration costs $10 per person. The event typically raises about $1,200, said Penelope Resulta, public relations director for Project Feed Me. The money collected will go toward local shelters Oxford Men’s Shelter and Dorothy Day House, which the group will visit on Nov. 20. Canned goods and monetary donations are still being accepted.

Alvarez said he hopes to feed about 1,000 families this Thanksgiving through the group’s holiday charity. A Thanksgiving dinner, catered by SU and taking place at the Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church in Syracuse, will be held the night following the tournament. They expect to feed about 300 people at this year’s dinner.

Project Feed Me is made up of SU students who work to feed families in impoverished areas while giving youth the opportunity to engage in community service projects. The group’s efforts are not limited to the Syracuse area. The group also fights to eliminate poverty and feed families in New York City.

Alvarez and his family struggled with poverty during his childhood, and he said these experiences drove him to found Project Feed Me.

The New York Times recognized Project Feed Me for its efforts, publishing an article in November 2009 that detailed Alvarez’s history with the organization and with poverty. Alvarez created the group originally in New York City during his senior year of high school before bringing it to the city of Syracuse when he came to SU, according to the article. He said the media attention has helped the organization grow.

Alvarez said: ‘It has propelled us to a national landscape and helped us galvanize more corporate sponsors to further our outreach in the Syracuseand Harlemcommunities.’

dspearl@syr.edu

Published on November 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Diana: dspearl@syr.edu | @dianapearl_