August 20, 2026 – Nearly 450 Millikin University students traded the classroom for an opportunity to serve others today, coming together for a Day of Service benefiting Feed My Starving Children in partnership with volunteers from ADM.
The event was part of Millikin’s New Student Welcome Week and featured two MobilePack sessions Thursday, bringing students together to pack meals that will be distributed to children facing hunger around the world.
While the Day of Service is incorporated into the Welcome Week experience for new students, participation extended beyond the freshman class, with more than 600 members of the Millikin community taking part in the two sessions.
For students beginning their college experience, the event offered an opportunity to see community engagement in action while meeting classmates and becoming connected to the Decatur community. For returning students, it provided another opportunity to put Millikin’s commitment to service into practice.
This year’s MobilePack includes five packing sessions and is expected to produce more than 248,000 meals. The effort requires approximately $73,000 to cover the cost of the meals, with about $25,000 still needed as the packing sessions began Thursday.
The MobilePack has brought together members of the Decatur community since 2013, including students, businesses, churches, schools, community organizations and families.
For Millikin, Thursday’s Day of Service provided a meaningful way to begin another academic year—not simply by welcoming students to campus, but by encouraging them to become part of the larger community around them.
