Swipe for the Hungry is a program that calls for students to use their meal card at any FLIK register.

Donations can be made in $5 increments for the program running until Dec. 15. All donations are given to soup kitchens in Bridgeport to help finance the cost of food.

"What we need to keep in mind is that $5 may not seem like a whole lot of money to many of us, but to a child, mother, father, or anyone else in need, it is a godsend," said sophomore Mike Fazzino, peer mentor coordinator of Swipe for the Hungry.

According to Fazzino, one billion people live on less that $1 every single day.

"I think that it's our responsibility to help out those who have so little when we have so much, especially during the holiday season," Fazzino said.

Only registers in FLIK will be able to accept the donated points since they are set up for the program.

Since FLIK is centrally located and many students go there for their meals it was convenient to have the system in place.

"Swipe for the Hungry is something you can do right on campus in a place where everyone usually goes at least once a day," said senior Jenna Morales.

"It doesn't involve any extra time or energy--just swipe as you're paying for your food. Plus, there's a good percentage of students that usually have some points left on their meal plan at the end of the semester--instead of buying candy in bulk, they can finally do something useful with them," said Morales.

The issue of feeding the hungry in Bridgeport was not a spur of the moment decision.

Fazzino worked with Angel Rosado, the food service director in FLIK, since September about a solution and was able to come up with this program.

"Literally hundreds of hours went into organizing the project, with the help of the great individuals in the Mentoring Office, Service Learning, and FLIK," said Fazzino.

"We have also graciously accepted the help of UMOJA, who is dorm storming and allowing students to donate any amount of FLIK points from the cards without leaving the comfort of their dorm rooms."

In addition, The ONE Campaign has been extremely supportive, since their "Make Poverty History" mission coincides directly with the goals of Swipe for the Hungry, and many of their members were among the first to donate and help advertise for the program," said Fazzino.

The convenience of the program itself makes participation in Swipe for the Hungry easier. No more worries of finding time to pick up food for food drives or missing the deadlines to donate.

"Programs like these are probably even more successful than traditional food drives because we don't have to worry about going out to the stores and buying the food, and then finding the drop off places for it," said graduate student Kevin Hannigan.

It is easier for a student to commit to it, because it is so convenient, said Hannigan

It doesn't entail too much work from the students. It's a painless solution to helping out the hungry.

"If it is for a good cause, [then] why not," said senior Alicea Corey.

In this holiday season, the spirit of giving is an important one for students to share with the less fortunate. Already, there have been hundred of points collected and the numbers keep on growing.

"We're hoping that students will have a good enough response to the program, and with FLIK's continued support, we are hoping this will become a semester-end tradition that Sacred Heart can participate in for years to come," said Fazzino.