It’s the season of giving, and one Northern Michigan University student-led organization is doing its part to give back.

The organization, Marquette Ending Hunger, reported a successful goodie bag fundraiser on Tuesday.

MEH President Patrick Meyers and Secretary Sydney Butler put together 50 goodie bags filled with hot cocoa mix and candy. They were sold for $2 each. Over $60 was made that day and will be donated to NMU’s Food Pantry. The on-campus pantry provides one bag of food for students and staff each week.

Marquette Ending Hunger was started by students in 2014 with faculty adviser Mark Shevy. Over the years, the organization has worked with local food pantries, Room at the Inn, local churches and even Shania Kids Can.

SKC is a charity started by musical artist Shania Twain to “relieve the economic, social and personal sufferings of children that she herself experienced as a child.”

The charity sets up an SKC Clubhouse in the target elementary school, staffs the clubhouse and allows children to come there for academic, therapeutic and nutritional support.

Students passing by stopped their journey across Jamrich when they saw the cheerful Marquette Ending Hunger booth. People visited, learned about the issue and occasionally donated more than the required $2. Less than two hours after setting up, all goodie bags were sold out.

“One in five kids in the U.P. doesn’t have enough food to eat,” Meyers said. “It’s really sad and it’s something we want to help out with.”

Marquette Ending Hunger holds plenty of fundraising events throughout the year to raise money for those who don’t have access to food in Marquette. Its chief goal is to spread awareness of this increasingly important issue.

“It’s something I really wish more people were involved in,” Meyers said. “It’s a bunch of students that care about the campus community and wanna do something to have a positive impact… Come to a meeting, pitch an idea to us.”

The Mining Journal applauds the efforts of Marquette Ending Hunger. Too often, when we think of less fortunate people during the holidays, we think of kids not having toys to play with, not families who may not have enough to eat.

This effort is truly in keeping with the Christmas spirit, and Marquette Ending Hunger should be proud of what they’ve done.