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WASHINGTON - Last Friday, members of the Georgetown University women's basketball squad took time out of the fall schedule to give back to the local community. The Hoyas participated in Friday Food which is part of the larger group Hoya/Homeless Outreach Programs and Education (HOPE) in the Center for Social Justice, Research, Teaching & Service.

"The community service event was absolutely humbling," said sophomore Faith Woodard (Brandon, Fla./Freedom). "I'm truly grateful to have experienced something so special and so gratifying. Spending time with the homeless and listening to their stories was one of the best experiences of my life."

Friday Food is a weekly program that meets every Friday at 5:15 p.m., in Hoya Court to make bagged meals and then give them out to the homeless in Dupont Circle. The objective of the program is not only to give back to the community, but for the participants to talk and spend time with the homeless, connecting with them on a level beyond the charitable actions.

HOPE is an umbrella organization for several service programs that fight hunger and homelessness in Washington, D.C. Other service initiatives include Knit for the Needy, Mobile Soup Kitchen, Issue of the Month, Grab n' Give, Party Animals and HOPE Dental.

"What a humbling experience," said junior forward Dominique Vitalis (Bloomfield, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's). "It was so refreshing to see people who, although not in the best situations, were so pleasant and grateful for the food we had given them."

While the team was able to do something for others, they came away with a lot more knowledge about the needs of the community just outside the gates of Georgetown. They learned how much of an impact they can have in a small action and what that means to the people who need the help.

"A listening ear sometimes goes far more than the food being passed," said junior Ki-Ke Rafiu (Offa, Nigeria/Saints Neuman Goretti). "We all have a story to tell and we need someone to listen to our individual story."