The Christian non-profit organization Baptist Student Ministry, located across from campus at 3505 Taft Blvd., is giving free lunch to MSU students in its facilities every Wednesday at noon.

BSM director Keith Beanland said the meals have several benefits for students.

“This is the time to give a general blessing for a free meal and enjoy its benefits but also to meet other students, to have good conversations, make friends and get connected,” Beanland said.

Beanland added that college relationships can be hard to make, but the BSM meals provide an avenue to do that.

“A lot of college students don´t make deep friendships at college, which is very sad because they don’t get to meet many people by going to class, then to the cafeteria, back to their dorms, play video games, and then go to sleep. So hopefully, through interactions like here, where we are creating a space by sitting in a table to eat with people they don´t know, will help to form new friendships,” he said.

Beanland said all the food is provided by local churches that want to serve campus and be a blessing for the students.

“Many of our local churches support us, they want to be able to care for the students in different ways by providing a meal to them at no cost and also to be able to extend a welcome if someone wants to have a church family,” Beanland said.

The event is open to anyone, and Beanland said there is no charge to be involved.

“We are open to new people and new ideas. There´s no membership, this is not a sorority or fraternity where people are paying to be involved. If they want to grow, be mentored, or want to come to the activities and trips we do during the semester we will be happy to have them,” Beanland said.

Chemistry sophomore Abigail Simbaña said the lunches are a good opportunity to try different kinds of food.

“I really enjoy this event because I think as an international student is really good to have a meal every week with homemade food that is usually not served at the cafeteria,” Simbaña said.

BSM gives name tags to everybody who attends the event, which makes the process of getting to know each other easier.

Simbaña said this is an event students should try at least once.

“I will recommend MSU students to attend this event and try it at least once. This will give you more than free food. It’s really cool because you get to know a lot of people. In addition, they give you name tags so there are no awkward transitions of people asking your name, which is great for making new friends,” Simbaña said.

Faith Baptist Church members serve students their free lunch, Sep.13. (Stephanie Garcia)

Criminal justice junior Joseph Mendez and education sophomore Natasha Moore write down students names on name tags as they walk in the BSM., Sep. 13. (Stephanie Garcia)