Megan DeSanty
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Megan DeSanty, a Robotics Engineering major at WPI is a student leader active in addressing issues of food insecurity in the Worcester community. Megan began volunteering at the Wachusett Food Pantry as a sophomore in high school. As a student at WPI, she joined the Food Recovery Network (FRN) during her freshman year. She is now a FRN board member who has been instrumental in recovering hundreds of pounds of food from campus dining halls for use at a local homeless shelter. Megan is also a member of WPI's varsity Track and Field and Cross Country teams and serves on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
Personal Statement
In the eighth grade a friends application for reduced school lunch was denied. Many students in Worcester County rely on this program, and my experience only solidified this fact. I began volunteering at the Wachusett Food Pantry as a sophomore in high school. For the past four years I have attended monthly distribution, conducted food drives, and worked closely with the board to determine the correct allocations of food per month. When I was accepted as a student at WPI, I knew I could apply my knowledge and experience to a college setting. I joined the Food Recovery Network during my freshman year. As a board member I have delivered hundreds of pounds of recovered food to the Friendly House in Worcester. To expand our efforts further, I took the initiative to involve the cross country and track teams in delivering food. We added over 150 volunteers from the track and field program and I hope to see our efforts drastically increase in the future so no person has to go hungry.
