For Campus Celebrity this week, Her Campus at Virginia Tech is spotlighting two ladies that are trying to make change happen in our own Blacksburg community. Samantha Zucker and Hannah Brookner were happy to tell us about the great organization that they’re starting up here on campus!
Samantha Zucker is a freshman from Arlington, Virginia and is majoring in Business Information Technology. Hannah Brookner, also a freshman, is from Houston, Texas and is a General Engineering major.
HC: What is the name of your organization and why did you decide to start it?
Hannah: It’s called Challah for Hunger. I asked Sam to do this with me, and she agreed because she loves baking. I wanted to start it because it’s a big organization at The University of Texas at Austin and when I got to Tech, I wondered why we don’t have it if our motto is Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). I did a lot of community service in high school that was focused on hunger and homelessness, and the main focus of Challah for Hunger is feeding the hungry. I always envisioned doing this in college, plus I enjoy baking. We bake and sell challah, which is a Jewish bread, and the proceeds go to hunger funds. 50% of the proceeds go to Mazone, a hunger fund in Israel, and the other 50% go to a local hunger fund.
Sam: We chose Micah’s Backpack as the local hunger fund that we wanted to donate part of our proceeds to.
HC: What is the main goal of Challah for Hunger?
Sam: The main goal is to help others, but also to have a good time and put Hillel’s name out there. I feel like people think Challah for Hunger is just a Jewish organization but it’s not, we would love everyone’s support.
HC: What is Hillel?
Sam: It’s a Jewish organization on campus but it’s open to everyone — you don’t have to be Jewish to participate in the program.
HC: What are your hopes for the future of Challah for Hunger?
Sam: I want it to be our legacy. We want it to continue growing so that it’s not just Hannah and I.
Hannah: I want it to be something that we leave behind when we graduate, and to know that it will go on even after we leave Virginia Tech.
HC: What should people do if they are interested in joining your organization?
Hannah: Follow us on Gobbler Connect, email us at szucker@vt.edu or hbrook@vt.edu, and look out for our Facebook events where you can sign up to volunteer to bake or sell bread, and you can pre-order your loaf (or loaves) of challah.
What flavor(s) of challah do you bake and sell?
Sam: We’ve started out with chocolate chip and plain, but we want to do other fun flavors like pumpkin chocolate chip, cinnamon chocolate chip, garlic rosemary, Nutella and birthday cake!
HC: What else do you both like to do in your free time?
Hannah: I like to watch Netflix, and I love coloring.
Sam: I usually play lacrosse in my free time or bake.
HC: Tell us something we don’t yet know about you!
Hannah: I’m left-handed.
Sam: And I can eat a whole block of fudge in one sitting!
So, now that you know more about our wonderful campus celebrities and their organization, be sure to consider helping out! When I interviewed Sam and Hannah, they both agreed that getting involved in campus organizations is important in order for us Hokies to live out our motto, Ut Prosim, and give back to the community.