APSU volunteers help pack 600K meals through Clarksville Feeds the World

By: Ethan Steinquest February 20, 2026

APSU men’s golf team student-athletes load a pallet with food boxes for distribution through Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit delivering humanitarian aid to communities in need. | Photo by Sean McCully

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University fielded hundreds of volunteers to help prepare 611,424 meals for people in need during the second annual Clarksville Feeds the World, hosted on Feb. 14 at the Dunn Center.

The event, a partnership with Convoy of Hope and U.S. Hunger, will see the meals distributed based on need to international communities facing hunger and food insecurity. Pastor Mike Burnette with LifePoint Church developed the project idea, while APSU Athletics provided the location and significant volunteer support.

“Having access to these meals really is a lifeline for some people, and it was incredible to see how much we were able to pack,” said Mayer Marks, the project manager for Clarksville Feeds the World. “Austin Peay really showed up, and the football team came in clutch during our last shift. We ended up putting a lot of them onto the assembly lines to help pack bags, and the numbers started going up much faster.”

Volunteers also donated 2,300 pounds of canned food and water to support Loaves & Fishes in Clarksville, and Convoy of Hope contributed 24,000 pounds of food and cleaning supplies.

“A lot of that is shelf-stable, individually packaged items that we can convert into snack bags,” said John Durnell, executive director of Loaves & Fishes. “One of the new things we’re taking on is food box distribution every other month, and this is a way for us to supplement that. We also have a network of 15 distribution partners, including the APSU Food Pantry, so if we’re overstocked on a particular item or it’s something we can’t use, we can send it beyond our four walls.”

Over 3,000 volunteers, including families and organizations, worked in three shifts to surpass last year’s numbers (500,288 meals) and this year’s target (600,000 meals). A majority of APSU’s student-athletes participated throughout the day.

“We can’t be Clarksville’s hometown team by just saying it,” said Jordan Harmon, APSU’s director of athletics. “When our community needs our help and our support, we need to extend a hand and do so. It’s also a great opportunity to help those who are less fortunate, and it shows our student-athletes some of the ways they can give back.”

APSU women’s soccer team student-athletes measure and scoop rice for a jambalaya recipe. Each bag feeds approximately four to six people and can be prepared using only boiling water. | Photo by Sean McCully

For sophomore communication major Paige Chrustowski and the rest of the APSU women’s soccer team, the event was a way to connect with new people while making a difference.

“We did this last year, and really enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of something that feeds so many people,” Chrustowski said. “It’s been great, and there’s a strong system for keeping it moving and getting the boxes packed.”

The team spent their shift preparing bags of rice for jambalaya using an assembly line formation. Other volunteers heat-sealed and boxed the meals, loaded them onto pallets, and kept the work areas clean.

Volunteers fill the Dunn Center at Austin Peay State University during the second annual Clarksville Feeds the World, which packaged 611,424 meals for people in need. | Photo by Chris Tallent

“It makes your heart full knowing that you’re able to help people in need, and it’s a special opportunity,” said John Mark Mills, a junior university studies major and member of the APSU men’s golf team. “It also just represents who we are as a team—we like to serve our community in whatever way we can.”

Mills signed up for Clarksville Feeds the World for the first time this year after hearing about it from his teammates. The event’s continued growth is encouraging for the volunteers behind the project, who plan to establish it as a designated nonprofit.

“You can’t go wrong when you have so many people coming together to leave a lasting impact on others,” Marks said. “We want to continue doing that, and potentially inspire other communities to do the same.”