Midshipmen of the Naval Academy Midshipmen Action Group (MAG) and the USNA Chaplain Center donated over 75,000 pounds of non-perishable food for this year’s Harvest for the Hungry campaign. The final deliveries of food donations from MAG were delivered to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank this week.
For the eleventh consecutive year, the Midshipman Action Group (MAG) has organized a Brigade awareness campaign and in-kind food donation drive for those in need of food assistance throughout our county. Through involvement in other community programs like MAG’s flagship program, Mids for Kids, MAG midshipmen have a unique understanding of the need for food assistance in local neighborhoods and county-wide. MAG midshipmen and the campus community partnered with Anne Arundel County Food and Resource Bank, and Anne Arundel County Public Schools to organize a donation of over 60 thousand pounds of food last year. This year, the midshipmen have exceeded that goal even with the added obstacle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID-19 changed the way we executed Harvest for the Hungry this year, but it did not change MAG or the Brigade’s passion for helping our local community,” said Community Relations Director and MAG Faculty Representative, Miriam Stanicic.
“Our entire drive was done virtually with food donations sent directly to the food bank,” said MAG President Midshipman 1st Class (senior) Elana Kozak. “All 30 companies at the Academy and the USNA Chaplain Center participated in a competition to see who could donate the most pounds of food; the winning company donated over 8,900 pounds alone! Overall, we set a new USNA record with over 75 thousand pounds of food donated in just four weeks.”
MAG was established in 1992 as a community relations program for and by the Brigade of Midshipmen and currently offers a variety of educational, environmental and social service volunteer projects in coordination with community partners from the Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas, as well as regional and national partners. MAG prepares midshipmen for future service by encouraging peer leadership, teamwork, character development, morale, selflessness and goodwill towards others.
For more information about the Naval Academy, please visit: www.usna.edu or their Facebook page. For more information about MAG, visit www.usna.edu/MAG.
