HOUSTON (Sept. 4, 2023) – On Sept. 9, 100 volunteers from the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) will converge at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to volunteer for their Meals on Wheels and the Refugee Service projects—to have an impact on 400 people in need.
It is all a part of GatorServe, a UHD tradition that brings together UHD students, staff, faculty, friends, families, and community partners to complete projects in service to our neighbors on National Days of Service — 9/11 Day of Remembrance in the fall semesters and Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the spring semesters. Caring for others is in the DNA of UHD. An extension of UHD’s culture of caring, GatorServe is sponsored by UHD’s Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning (CCESL).
For the 2023 fall semester National Day of Service, UHD’s GatorServe will partner with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. As one of Houston’s oldest interfaith service organizations in Houston, Interfaith Ministries feeds 5,000+ homebound seniors and their pets daily, resettles refugees fleeing persecution in their homelands, and fosters interfaith and community dialogue and understanding. Providing the UHD community an opportunity to volunteer is another way Interfaith Ministries serves its mission and supports the community.
WHEN: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. (volunteer arrival begins at 7:45 a.m.)
Welcome Ceremony: 8:25 – 9:05 a.m.
Project Completion: 9:20 – 11:50 a.m.
WHERE: Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, 3303 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
WHO: Amanda Edwards, Candidate for Texas 18th Congressional District.
Ali Al Sudani, Chief Programs Officer, Interfaith Ministries.
Dr. Loren J. Blanchard, UHD President.
VISUALS: UHD volunteers assembling care kits for refugee families.
UHD volunteers creating welcome notes for refugee families.
UHD volunteers making cat toys for the felines served by the aniMeals on Wheels Program.
UHD volunteers creating Veteran’s Day cards for the Meals on Wheels Program and centenarian Birthday cards (celebrating those 100 years of age or more).
UHD volunteers decorating birthday bags for seniors’ birthdays.
ABOUT INTERFAITH MINISTRIES FOR GREATER HOUSTON
A United Way partner, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Interfaith Ministries) brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration, and service, as a demonstration of our shared beliefs. Interfaith Ministries provides four main services: Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County which delivers more than 1.7 million meals each year to homebound seniors and people with disabilities across five counties; Refugee Services which, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, resettles thousands of refugees in Houston; Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships, which provides community services fostering understanding, respect and engagement among Houstonians of all faiths; the Vic Samuels Center for Volunteerism and Civic Service, which establishes a positive and lasting impact on the Greater Houston community through organized service and leadership through Volunteer Houston and SERVE HOUSTON. For more information, visit https://www.imgh.org/.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 15,000 students, boasts more than 64,000 alumni, and offers 46 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education awarded UHD a No. 1 ranking as the most diverse institution of higher education in the South and No. 18 in the nation. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.