Students partner with a local nonprofit to create a PR campaign that feeds body and soul.
What began in 2007 as a couple making sandwiches and handing them out on Broadway Avenue has grown into a nonprofit that now feeds more than 300 people every night.
St. Benedict’s Chapel, a local organization serving Lubbock’s homeless and food-insecure residents, operates through a network of churches, volunteers and community support. Recently, it found new energy and visibility through an unexpected partnership, a Public Relations & Strategic Communication Management (PRSC) course at Texas Tech University.
“This course activity has impacted me in that I've been able to see that homelessness is a huge issue in Lubbock and one that I've never really thought about before,” said Anna Newport, a senior PRSC major from Austin. “Getting to serve the people here at St. Benedict’s is really cool. They have a really awesome vision and getting to be a part of that is amazing.”
The class is PR Campaigns, the capstone course for Public Relations & Strategic Communication majors at Texas Tech. Led by Professor Jo Nelon, students work in teams to create and present a full campaign plan for a real-world client in the community.
“This is the blueprint for what they signed up to do when they told their parents four years ago, ‘I want to major in PR,’” Nelon said. “We go through all the steps: research, analysis, strategy, tactics and presentation. They bring it all together.”
But the impact of the course goes beyond the classroom.
“We call them our friends because sometimes we're the only people they see every day who's kind to them,” said Lynnette Wilson, executive director of St. Benedict’s. “They feel like we're part of their family because they’re very much alone.”
Wilson, who started volunteering at St. Benedict’s 10 years ago, said working with Texas Tech students brings fresh ideas and helps expand the nonprofit’s reach.
“It’s a blessing,” Wilson said. “The more people hear about what we do, the more successful we are. Students help us think of new ways to share our mission, whether that’s through social media or finding untapped resources.”
St. Benedict’s serves meals Monday through Saturday to anyone in need with no questions asked.
“We feed about 300 to 350 people every night, sometimes more,” Wilson said. “Our volunteers prepare and serve everything, and that includes the Tech students, who are here bagging sandwiches, packing cookies and helping wherever they’re needed.”
The experience leaves a lasting impression.
“You get to learn about PR, but you also actually use it for a real client. It’s the coolest experience ever,” Newport said.
For Nelon, the most rewarding part is watching her students grow.
“They dread the pitch in the beginning,” she said. “But by the final days, it all clicks. They’ve got so much more confidence. That’s what I love to see.”
More than a class project, this course gives students the rare opportunity to serve real clients, see real impact, and learn that great PR is about people, not just plans.