Pillow fighting to end hunger


Jackie Carlson | April 6, 2011

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University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students Olivia Brown and Courtney Patterson saw a unique way to fight hunger, an idea that – quite literally – smacked them in the face.

”A lot of people are doing walks and runs, so we wanted to do something that would stand out,” Patterson says.  They saw the need to do something that would grab the attention of their “attention-deficit-disordered” generation, as they put it.  A big pillow fight to benefit CROP Hunger Walk and CWS sounded like just the right ticket.

That’s not to say it’s easy to tie a pillow fight to the issue of hunger. “It’s way easier in a walk where you’re symbolizing the people walking from the water to the village and how hard that is,” Brown says.  But the two student leaders are quick to remind would-be stuffing sluggers where their donations are going and what they can do.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in the pillow fight through our Facebook group,” Olivia says.  Check out the students’ strategy in their own words.

Part of the contributions brought in by the fight go to a Knoxville-area hunger-fighting organization called Water Angel Ministries.  The mission of Water Angel is to meet the needs of poor and homeless people, helping to get them on their feet by providing food, shelter, water and clothing.  Water Angel’s emergency food pantry stockpiles canned fruits, vegetables and meat, including pop-top cans for people staying outside in camps.

“It’s wonderful to see the creative energy and new ideas that these students are bringing to the fight against hunger,” says Kevin McCoy, the CWS staff member who coordinates CROP Hunger Walks in the region. “The event will not only be a fun way to raise awareness, but the funds they raise will make an impact in the lives of families struggling with hunger locally and around the world.”