Baylor's 58:10 Project Provides Waco Community 101,000 Meals

The second annual 58:10 Project gathered students, faculty, staff and Waco community members to pack meals to fight food insecurity in the Waco area on Sept. 13, 2022.

Organized by the Department of Accounting and Business Law, more than 700 volunteers prepared 101,592 meals in three and a half hours. The department partnered with Caritas of Waco, who will distribute the meals to families in need in Waco and surrounding communities. The project’s name and mission come from Isaiah 58:10 in the Bible, which states, “You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will drive out the darkness, and your darkness will become like the middle of the day.”

“Fighting hunger and food insecurity is an issue that cannot be overlooked,” Hollis Hightower, a graduate student studying Accountancy, said. She and two fellow graduate students were instrumental in planning and implementing the event.

Volunteers loaded food and vitamins into packages with food and supplies provided by the Pack Shack, which were then boxed and delivered to Caritas. The final meal count more than doubled compared to the inaugural event, which packaged almost 50,000 meals in two hours.

“Last year’s 58:10 project was a huge success, and this year’s continued the momentum,” Hightower said. “Seeing how much of a benefit Baylor students and faculty can offer to Caritas of Waco and the people of McLennan County is very rewarding.”

The City of Waco showed support for the cause, with City Councilman Josh Borderud, City Attorney Jennifer Richie and City Secretary Michelle Hicks in attendance. Borderud recognized the event’s contributions to promoting human, community and societal flourishing by officiating a city proclamation declaring Sept. 13 as the Baylor 58:10 Project Day. 

Other supporters and partners for the project included KWTX-TV, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor Athletics and Extraco Banks.

Lauren Farish, a clinical assistant professor of Accounting and Business Law, said the department feels blessed to have the skills and resources to pull off this event and is joyful to glorify God through serving others.

“We in the Department of Accounting and Business Law have a driving mission to serve God and make Him known,” Farish said. “This project is just one way that we can do that.”