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Staten Island, NY – Wagner College Athletics, ShopRite and the Staten Island Advance held a joint news conference at Project Hospitality's Bay Street location on July 10 to announce an exciting, community-minded effort that featured the declaration of an ambitious goal of donating 25 tons of food to Project Hospitality, an organization that feeds thousands in the Port Richmond area.
 
Project Hospitality is a private non-profit organization based in Staten Island that provides comprehensive services for the hungry, homeless and inadequately housed people, especially those who are fighting battles with afflictions such as HIV, substance use and mental illness. As the only comprehensive homeless service provider in the borough of Staten Island, Project Hospitality serves more than 1.33 million meals to Staten Island residents each year and operates with a staff of over 300, while also employing an impressive corps of more than 600 student, community, religious and corporate volunteers.
 
Representing Wagner College at the well-attended news conference was President Richard Guarasci, a member of Project Hospitality's Board of Directors, Provost/Vice-President for Academic Affairs Lily McNair, Vice-President for Administration David Martin, Dean for Integrated Learning Pat Tooker and Athletic Director Walt Hameline.
 
Also on hand were a host of Seahawk student-athletes, many of whom will play a role in helping this community service program reach its goal of donating the 25 tons of food.  
 
“What a great partnership this is with ShopRite and the Staten Island Advance and I can't thank Project Hospitality enough,” said Guarasci. “If anybody in the room doubts that the next generation is producing leaders who lead, not only this country, but play a role in world leadership, who have good minds and big hearts, just look behind me and around me and look at the efforts involved with this program. This is pretty symptomatic of this generation. They want to do something that's significant with their lives and they want to make an impact on the lives of others.”
 
Hameline, who is entering his 32^nd year as both Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Wagner, amplified Guarasci's sentiments, delivered in a direct and motivating pep talk style.
 
“This is such a worthy cause and to team up with ShopRite and the Staten Island Advance and have our student-athletes involved is just tremendous. Reaching this number will be a great challenge for our student-athletes, one that I know they're going to go after really hard and achieve,” Hameline said. “When our student-athletes look back on this they will see that they were really helping somebody, which is a bottom line thing. It's great for Staten Island, it's a great opportunity for Wagner College and we're really excited about being involved and we're going to get it done.”
 
Executive Director of Project Hospitality Terry Troia is appreciative of the efforts being put forth by ShopRite, the Staten Island Advance and Wagner College in aiding Project Hospitality.
 
 “We serve Staten Islanders and we hold them in our embrace because organizations such as those who came down here today have chosen to hold them in their embrace,” she said. “Today's announcement of this enormous project is so important and meaningful and will help enhance the lives of countless Staten Islanders.”
 
This program will provide Wagner College students with a viable and meaningful public service mission, aiding members of the Staten Island community who are in a unified community effort with ShopRite, one of the most prevalent and visible grocery store chains in the northeast.
 
“It is the mission of Project Hospitality to reach out to community members who are hungry, homeless or otherwise in need in order to work with them to achieve their self-sufficiency — thereby enhancing the quality of life for our community,” said Father Jack Ryan, Project Hospitality's Director of External Relations, who kicked off the news conference with an impassioned message. “The important work that Project Hospitality accomplishes each and every day requires the efforts of a great many talented and dedicated members of the community. I salute Wagner College, ShopRite and the Staten Island Advance for the collaboration they've shown in putting this project together.”
 
Kevin Mannix, Owner and Operator of Staten Island at ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc also leant his support to the announcement as did Claire Regan, Associate Managing Editor of the Staten Island Advance.
 
 “We are truly honored and privileged to be here today and to have formed this partnership with wonderful, great institutions such as Wagner College and Project Hospitality,” said Mannix. “The effort put forth by Project Hospitality every day of the year is appreciated by us Staten Islanders.
 
“Historically, donations always came in, in the fourth quarter of any calendar year from the private sector,” he added. “In the fall season, everyone's getting ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah. Well, the food banks today need to be supplied with food 52 weeks a year. It's not a fall program. We've agreed to embark on an aggressive program of supplying Project Hospitality with 25 tons of food.”
 
Donation boxes will be located in the Spiro Sports Center, at all Wagner College Athletic events and throughout several additional campus locations. In addition, donation boxes will displayed at both ShopRite locations on Staten Island (985 Richmond Avenue and 2424 Hylan Boulevard) as well as in the main office of the Staten Island Advance (950 West Fingerboard Road).
 
For more information on the news conference or the food drive, please contact Wagner College Athletics Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Promotions Mike Miller at 718-420-4008 or Mike.Miller@Wagner.Edu.