March 16, 2026
Members of the St. John’s University community joined employees from the global consulting firm Protiviti on March 10 to package 3,500 meals for families facing food insecurity in the New York City area.
The effort was part of Manhattan, NY-based Protiviti’s year-round “i on Hunger” commitment to battling food insecurity—locally and around the world. About 100 students volunteered for the event held in the Marillac Hall Terrace and organized in partnership with St. John’s Bread & Life.
Sr. Caroline Tweedy, R.S.M. ’22HON, Executive Director, St. John’s Bread & Life, thanked the volunteers for their efforts in support of Bread & Life and Vincent’s Table, the on-campus food pantry St. John’s opened in December.
“There are a lot of people in need, a lot of people who are hungry,” Sr. Caroline said. “It is obvious that Vincent’s Table here on campus is helping to serve college students who are in need as well, and doing it in a dignified, compassionate way. That is because of people like you who take time out to be here.”
Protiviti’s i on Hunger effort dates back a decade. Together with its partners, the company has packed more than 16 million meals for needy people around the world.
“Food insecurity is a year-round issue,” said Joseph A. Tarantino ’80CBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Protiviti, and member, St. John’s Board of Trustees. “We do events like this all year round, and around the world, not just in the United States. Our connection to St. John’s and to Bread & Life is strong.”
University Career Services coordinated the event in partnership with Protiviti, highlighting the company’s longstanding relationship with the University and its support of student internship opportunities.
The Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s, welcomed the volunteers and Protiviti employees, and emphasized the shared values that connect the University’s mission with the day’s work.
“Assist the poor, assist the poor—that is the Vincentian charism and the imitation of Christ,” Fr. Shanley said. “We assist the poor, and the most basic need that people have is to eat. Food insecurity is not an abstract problem out there somewhere in the world. I am grateful to the people who have stepped up—the donors, staff, and everyone who has helped.”
Student volunteers worked in assembly-line fashion at four stations, putting together bags of milk, fruit boxes, juice, cereal, and granola bars and depositing them into bins bound for the Bread & Life pantry in Brooklyn, NY. Volunteers had filled all available boxes by 3:30 p.m., about a half-hour before the event’s scheduled conclusion.
Music played throughout the room as participants moved efficiently, working together to complete the packing effort.
“This event is a really great idea,” said Gali Desir, a junior information technology major. “I love opportunities that give back to the community. This is my second, maybe third, time coming here, and I really enjoy it. It shows that St. John’s cares about service and being involved in the community.”
For Amelia Kasparyan, a first-year biology student at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the event was highly personal.
“I saw how my parents had to juggle so many things, so it is really important for struggling families to know there are resources available,” Amelia said.
For other students, the event reinforced the University’s mission and values.
“Food insecurity is such a major issue,” said Marian Castillo, a junior double major in international management and economics at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business. “Events like this really embody the St. John’s spirit of service.”