The University of Texas at Dallas community commemorated Juneteenth with a week of celebrations that included a service project to provide meal kits for people in need.

The Reunited-themed events brought Comets together on campus to celebrate the holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S.

We want to show up for one another. We want to unite, and we want to be united because here at UT Dallas, we see diversity, but we also need to put diversity in our heads, in our hearts and in how we treat each other, Multicultural Center director Bruce August Jr. told volunteers at the Juneteenth Day of Service.

The Multicultural Center, part of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, organized the events along with campus partners on its Juneteenth Planning Committee.

The service project drew 126 volunteers who packed 21,888 meal kits for area food pantries. Wearing hairnets and plastic gloves, students, faculty and staff members sorted, measured and packaged ingredients for red lentil jambalaya. The Office of Student Volunteerism (OSV), which led the event, partnered with the nonprofit organization U.S. Hunger, which delivered the meal kits to the North Texas Food Bank. Some of the meal kits also were donated to the Comet Cupboard, UT Dallas food pantry for students in need.

Borna Afkhami-Rohani, a biology sophomore who packed meals at the event, said he signed up because he enjoys volunteering and the opportunity to meet new people.

The event was great. I met three new friends while preparing meals for those who are less fortunate, Afkhami-Rohani said. It doesnt get any better than that.

Mark Este, director of the OSV, said the event was made possible through financial support from the Multicultural Center, Black Faculty and Staff Alliance (BFSA), the Eugene McDermott Library, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Naveen Jindal School of Management, Living Learning Communities and the Young Professionals Employee Resource Group.

At the Office of Student Volunteerism, we strive to address inequities in our local and national communities through service and have amazing partners throughout the campus to collaborate with on this front, Este said.

In addition to the service project, the University held a kickoff party sponsored by the BFSA, a virtual cookbook release event and a celebration that included a health and wellness fair.

Volunteers celebrated after they finished packing meal kits for area food pantries. Most of the nearly 22,000 meal kits were delivered to the North Texas Food Bank, and the rest were donated to the Comet Cupboard.

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UTD Honors Juneteenth with Celebrations, New Service Project - University of Texas at Dallas