It is hard to imagine there are people that go to bed hungry in the nation's third wealthiest county, but it is an epidemic Fairfield County faces.

As a result, Sacred Heart is reaching out as the first university in Connecticut to participate in a Potato Drop, a collaborative effort between institutions where 45,000 pounds of potatoes will be distributed to the needy.

The school is looking for volunteers to help out with the project.

"The goal of the project is to bring food to people who need it and dramatize the need by having a visual project that shows why there is a need for food in a wealthy county," said Phyllis Machledt, Director of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs and member of the Golden Hill Methodist Church.

She said she thought it would be a good idea to team up institutions to reach out to those less fortunate.

This event will distribute 45,000 pounds of potatoes to those in need from the area. North Lot will be filled with 900 50-pound bags of potatoes, which is equivalent to 135,000 servings of food.

According to the Society of St. Andrew, a Christian ministry whose main objective is to feed America's hungry, 36 million Americans go regularly without food. Thirteen million are children who have no food at all at least three days of the.

Fairfield County has many residents that fall into this category and the numbers continue to rise. The gap between the county's poor and wealthy is so large that there are still starving people in what is considered one of the nation's wealthiest counties.

This underprivileged population is often malnourished and affects women, children, the unemployed, the working poor and the homeless.

"We are doing it to feed the hungry people in this area as well as raise the communities' awareness to the fact about hunger in Fairfield County," said Meghan Polis, sophomore, East Patchogue, N.Y., one of the chairmen of the project.

The Potato Drop is a result of the collaborative effort of Sacred Heart, the Society of St. Andrew, Golden Hill Methodist Church and the Bridgeport Council of Churches.

In addition to the collaborations of these four, local churches, soup kitchens, and food pantries will volunteer. The aiding hands will include Kings' Pantry, Daughters of Charity, Merton Center and Hunger for Peace and others.

The distribution will take place on Friday, March 30, starting at 11 a.m. when the truck arrives with the potatoes. The plan is to have volunteers unload the trucks and even deliver to soup kitchens or food pantries where many are run by the elderly.

"After volunteering in El Salvador for Spring Break, I feel fortunate. People do not always appreciate the food they have everyday and it is important to make people aware of the struggle that others have to go through," said Rachel Dabek, sophomore, Stratford, who plans on volunteering at the event.

Sign-ups are on the bulletin board outside of the Service Learning Center and volunteers are needed. Volunteering includes publicizing and coordinating the event and unloading and delivering the potatoes.

"This event will allow us to do something out of the ordinary and highlight a serious issue," said Machledt.