Loyola Dining Services hosts virtual fun run to combat hunger

With traditional community fundraisers sidelined due to COVID-19 restrictions, Loyola Dining Services by Sodexo got creative.

The dining team at Loyola University, in cooperation with Loyno Commuter Association and Loyno Campus Recreation, organized a completely virtual fun run for the Loyola community, known as The Wolf Pack.

"I really appreciate the fun run and all the events that bring together the community,” said Sonja Adelheid Elisabeth Wendlinge, a fun run winner and Loyola transfer student from the University of Salzburg, Austria.

Participants could sign up online at www.loyno.sodexomyway.com or at the Danna Center on campus.

From March 22-27, runners signed up and logged their time. Participants earned a commemorative fun run shirt and a medal post-run.

"I signed up for the race because this felt like a good way to feel connected to the Loyola running community even though we can't race together in person yet,” said Lauren Godshall, another virtual fun run winner.

As a result of the event, forty meals were donated to Iggy’s Cupboard, a student-run organization on the Loyola University New Orleans campus that helps feed students, faculty, and staff in need.

"We wanted to create an event that addressed several important issues brought to light during this unique time,” said Kelsey Rosenbaum, MS, RD, LDN. “Hunger on college campuses is a universal problem that has only increased with COVID. The virtual race was a COVID-safe way to promote wellness and to give back to the Loyola community. By partnering with Iggy's Cupboard, we were able to provide meals to students in a way that is respectful, inclusive, and accessible."

PHOTO CAPTION: Sonja Adelheid Elisabeth Wendlinge