Oakland Red Cross and Student Veterans of Oakland University (SVOU) are all teaming up for the debut of Road March: To End Hunger.

On Thursday Nov. 12 from 11 a.m., to 4 p.m., Oakland students and faculty are invited to pack 10 pounds of non-perishable food items and new or gently used clothing into a backpack and stop by Elliot Tower. From there, they will ‘march’ a one mile course around campus to raise awareness for the cause.

“Our country’s service members carry heavy rucksacks filled with their equipment and living needs while out on missions, many times walking long distances up mountains or through desert terrain with these heavy loads,” the event coordinator from Theta Chi, Evan Parsons said. The march not only collects resources for Veterans in need, but it allows members in the community to participate and get a feel for what the people they’re helping experienced while serving our country.

The food, clothing and money collected from the event is all being donated to the Salvation Army’s Veterans Transitional Housing program. The program provides a place to stay as well as food to homeless veterans and their families in Detroit.

With a unique mix of student organizations, this event is setting the stage for greater event coordination on campus and bigger impacts on Oakland’s community.

“The more organizations we have involved, the bigger awareness we can create on campus,” Parsons said, “as Greeks, we bring the most attention to the stage and with the coordination of SVOU and the Red Cross, we have the means to distribute the food and clothing to the families that need it.”

SVOU Vice President Kevin Ferguson also weighed in on the coordination with Greek life.

“[SVOU is] starting to tie in events with Greek life in an effort  to integrate into the campus community, making more of a name for ourselves as well as coordinating with other student organizations to allow everyone to put on bigger and more impactful events,” Ferguson said.

As Oakland continues to grow and its student organizations continue to collaborate, Parsons and Ferguson are excited to see the benefits of coordinated efforts on events. By working together, the two hope that the Road March: To End Hunger can make a lasting impact on the lives of homeless veterans. They want to set an example for what can be done when the OU student body comes together for a cause.