Monroe Remembers: Fourth Annual "Feed the Funnel" Event Held on 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

For a few hours today, the Monroe Athletic Complex on the New Rochelle campus became a place where competition took a back seat to collaboration.

More than 260 volunteers filled the MAC with energy and purpose for Monroe’s fourth annual “Feed the Funnel” meal-packing event, coming together to prepare thousands of nutritious meals for families in need throughout the region.

This year’s gathering carried a deeper significance. Held on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the event offered a meaningful way to honor the lives lost and the countless acts of courage, compassion, and service that emerged in the aftermath of that day. A quarter-century later, the spirit of coming together to help one another remains as important as ever.


Students, faculty, staff, student-athletes, athletic staff, community leaders, and volunteers from throughout Westchester put that spirit into action, working side by side in recognition of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

This year also brought a new connection to the Monroe community, as student-athletes and athletic staff from Pace University joined the effort. Their participation made the day particularly memorable, as the two institutions would meet on the football field the following day in the inaugural Westchester Gridiron Classic, a new annual football tradition.

Before there was competition, however, there was collaboration.

Inside the MAC, the basketball court was transformed into a bustling assembly line. Volunteers measured rice, beans, and other shelf-stable ingredients, filled and sealed meal packages, and prepared boxes for distribution. Station by station, individual efforts became part of something much larger.

Two meal-packing sessions kept the energy moving throughout the day. Monroe President Marc Jerome welcomed volunteers at the start of the first session, while New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert opened the second before joining volunteers on the assembly line herself.

A live DJ provided the soundtrack, and a ceremonial gong signaled each major milestone. With every ring came cheers from volunteers celebrating not simply a number, but the collective impact behind it.

Monroe’s student-athletes were an important part of that effort. Members of the Baseball, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Football, and Men’s and Women’s Volleyball teams joined members of the Marching Band, bringing their enthusiasm and teamwork to the MAC. This year, they were joined by their peers from Pace, reinforcing the sense of connection that made the day so distinctive.

The event was organized in partnership with Volunteer New York!, the City of New Rochelle, The Pack Shack, and Feeding Westchester, bringing together higher education, local government, nonprofit organizations, and community volunteers around a shared commitment to service.

Behind the scenes, Denzel Daniel, Paula Gonzalez-Mitchell, Temajio Boodle, Valentino Stubbs, and the Residential Life and Student Activities teams provided the leadership and coordination that made the day possible.

Twenty-five years after September 11, the meaning of service continues to evolve, but its importance has not changed. On a day dedicated to remembrance, the Monroe community chose to honor that legacy through action -- by showing up, working together, and helping others.

The weekend would continue on the gridiron, with Monroe and Pace meeting as competitors in a new football tradition. But the connection between the two institutions began somewhere else: on the MAC basketball court, working together in service of the community.

Thousands of meals. Hundreds of volunteers. One shared purpose.

And one powerful reminder that even decades later, coming together still matters.