WORCESTER—A group of Clark University graduate students is helping tackle food insecurity in Worcester — not by serving meals, but by designing ways to fund them.
As part of a recent “PM challenge,” students in Clark’s Master of Science in Project Management program developed fundraising strategies for The Mustard Seed, a local nonprofit that provides meals and food assistance to older adults, people experiencing homelessness, veterans and others in need.
The multi-round competition tasked student teams with creating practical, low-cost project plans that could be implemented within six months—an exercise aimed at strengthening the nonprofit’s ability to expand services and sustain operations.
Participants were handed two weeks to build proposals focused on outreach, donor engagement and long-term sustainability, while also finding ways to better communicate what organizers described as “the human side of food insecurity.”
The winning proposal, “$10 feeds dignity,” developed by students Pooja Pithva and Prakash Jha, centered on increasing recurring donations through improvements to the organization’s website and expanded social media outreach.
“The PM Challenge reflects Clark’s commitment to experiential learning and community engagement,” said Mary M. Piecewicz, director of the Master of Science in Project Management program, in a statement released by the university. “It really opened our students’ eyes to the growing need for skilled project managers in the nonprofit sector and provided them with a meaningful opportunity to solve real stakeholder needs at The Mustard Seed.”
She added that the experience allowed students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges while offering the nonprofit actionable ideas to broaden its impact.
Six graduate students organized the competition, which was judged by a panel that included a representative from The Mustard Seed, a City of Worcester official and a member of the program’s advisory council.
Clark’s project management program, launched in 2021, emphasizes applied learning experiences designed to prepare students for leadership roles across industries. University officials said initiatives like the PM Challenge are intended to connect students with community partners while addressing local needs.
