On the first Saturday of every month, students who are a part of Tech’s Lifting Our Voices, Inc. chapter (GT LOV) can be seen driving around the local area, making, packaging and hand-delivering meals to the homeless and food-insecure population around local Atlanta.
LOV, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded by Morehouse College graduate, Noah McQueen, in 2020 as a response to the pandemic. Based in Atlanta, the organization focuses on supporting and encouraging the voices of vulnerable and underprivileged people through hands-on service projects. This direct contact with the surrounding people and areas has opened up spaces for student volunteers to learn about civility, leadership and the importance of community.
As LOV, Inc. and their mission has grown, chapters at various colleges around the state of Georgia have begun to take root. GT LOV was chartered in early 2022 and has since grown its membership and volunteer team. The primary service initiative of LOV, Inc. is their Sandwich Runs: an event where people come together to make meals, lunch and dinner, and distribute them on a designated route.
Iliyah Dean, fourth-year CS and the Vice President of GT LOV, talked to the Technique about the structure of the monthly sandwich runs, funding and collaborations, and the future goals of expanding the chapter and spreading the mission of serving the community. Although they are part of the larger national LOV, Inc. organization, students put in a lot of work behind the scenes for each chapter, which makes these events possible.
“We partner with other organizations to help bring volunteers and also to pay for supplies, and then we do bake sales or other fundraisers to also go towards the cost of materials. Normally, at the beginning of August, we try to apply for some grants, because we can’t get SGA funding for the events, because it’s not technically going to Georgia Tech students. It’s one of the things where we have to find other ways to fund it,” Dean said.
Once all materials and supplies are collected, members and volunteers gather at the Cypress Theater on Saturday morning to start making sandwiches. They then travel in groups to drive along a pre-planned route around the local area and hand out meals as needed. Their method of going to people, rather than people having to come to a designated place, is a characteristic of the national organization.
As a whole, LOV, Inc. averages over 500 total meals made and distributed per week. GT LOV, like many community-based organizations, is still growing, both in terms of membership and the number of people they help every month, but it has limited support from the school itself.
“Yeah, it would definitely be nice and helpful[to receive Institute support] because I think it’s also a good opportunity to show students [that] you can make an impact here on campus. It may seem like you have to do a lot or it’s really complicated, but it doesn’t have to be,” Dean said.
Dean emphasizes the sense of family that the executive board prioritizes cultivating within the organization through its causal atmosphere and hosting social events. This camaraderie towards the shared goals of each member to get out into and involved with helping the community has allowed GT LOV to expand and host new initiatives.
“As we’ve gotten bigger, we’ve run into the issue of finding more places to help people. So, we also started donating to some shelters and donation centers. So it’s [a] very hands-on and impactful experience…we started having toiletry drives and winter clothing drives, and we’re really trying to make that a lot bigger this year, we’re trying to, you know, grow in that sense,” Dean said.
Even though Tech is located in the middle of Midtown Atlanta, its campus borders are set separately against the neighboring communities. As a student here, it may be easy to stay unaware of the challenges and disadvantages that surround the bubble of campus. Organizations like GT LOV are critical in promoting advocacy, fostering awareness and making a real impact through direct contact with people and communities in need.
“Come as you are and come as much as you want. It’s definitely a fun experience. Maybe just come once, just to see what it’s like. You know, try it out,” Dean said.
LOV, Inc. and GT LOV have more events open to students throughout the school year, both on and off campus. If you are interested in getting more involved with and having an impact on the local community, visit LOV, Inc.’s webpage, liftingourvoices.org. To learn more information about upcoming GT LOV events as a member or volunteer, visit gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/liftingourvoices or follow them on Instagram at @liftingourvoices.gt.