Bearing a Burden: VSU employee helps students in need
Published 2:00 pm Monday, April 13, 2020
- Graham Nguyen | Submitted Photo |Boxes of food are placed outside of Centennial Residence Hall at Valdosta State as a part of the food box program that Graham Nguyen started for students in need.
VALDOSTA – During times of need, people often lean on the kindness of others.
Sometimes that kindness can evolve in unimaginable ways.
That’s what occurred when Graham Nguyen, video production coordinator and marketing videographer, decided to donate boxes of food for Valdosta State students unable to return home after most residence halls closed.
Nguyen asked a small group of friends for monetary assistance to get supplies for the boxes, but thanks to the help of outside contributors, he gave away more than 120 boxes.
“The food boxes are mainly for VSU students that are still here locally,” Nguyen said via phone interview last week. “I knew that there were still going to be some number of students that were still going to be in the dorms. I know that basically campus asked them that if it’s possible for them to go then they need to go but not every student has a place to go back to or a safe place to go back to.”
Nguyen said the students are part of an overlooked demographic.
“You’ve got the city schools doing a lot of outreach to feed the elementary to high school kids, then we’ve got some stuff for our homeless population and elderly population but the missed demographic was those college students that a lot of people kind of looked over,” Nguyen said. “I think there’s just as much or more of a need there. Especially being that a lot of times they’re away from their families and they’re not able to go home.”
Seeing another need, Nguyen reached out via Facebook about ordering N-95 facial masks for VSU alum working at South Georgia Medical Center. Within 10 hours, he raised more than $2,000 and tripled the order for masks. He still had enough money left over to donate more food boxes.
He said he hopes to one day hand off the food box project to VSU’s Blazer Pantry, a program established in October 2010 to help VSU students with hardships.
Hopefully, he said, a system will be created that is sustainable for the people who make and receive the boxes.
Until then, he’ll continue to carry the load.
Nguyen can be reached at gwnguyen@valdosta.edu or via his Instagram @__instagraham___ to donate or assist with the food box project.
