Manuel Rodriguez (right), a senior biology major, administers a finger-prick blood glucose test to a community member (left) during a ‘Hungry Saturday’ event on Saturday at the Samaritan Resource Center in Orlando.
Emmy Bailey
A student-run organization turned service into action Saturday morning, as members came together at the Samaritan Resource Center to distribute meals, hand out hygiene kits and offer blood glucose testing to those in need.
The Omega Leos at UCF are turning service into action, one meal, one hygiene kit and one conversation at a time. Student volunteers gathered for the organization’s signature outreach event, “Hungry Saturday.”
In just their second semester on campus, the Omega Leos are quickly establishing themselves at UCF. The club operates as a collegiate chapter of Lions International, one of the largest international community service organizations, with more than 1.4 million members in 200 countries and geographic regions.
Leos, which stands for Leadership, Experience, and Opportunity, focuses on global causes including childhood cancer, diabetes, disaster relief, environmental sustainability, humanitarian aid, hunger, vision and youth development.
“Community building is the best way to progress society,” Gabriel Pedroza, junior health science major, said. “I’m grateful to have so many people come out. This is a lot of turnout for our club.”
Pedroza, president of Omega Leos, founded the club at UCF on Oct. 1, 2025, seeing it as an opportunity to engage students in more than just health-related initiatives.
“I saw it as an opportunity to get people involved in not just health-related initiatives but in community building, and build a community on campus of people who really want to get involved and make a difference,” Pedroza said.
The organization recently received a $5,800 grant from Lions International, funding that will supply the needs for “Hungry Saturday” for six months. The grant allows the student-led club to expand its impact while building a culture of long-term service on campus.
“I hope that we get very big and then stuff like this becomes easy for us,” said Ella Gorano, vice president of Omega Leos and senior communication and science disorder major. “We have had a lot more volunteers today than we have had at any other Hungry Saturday so far. And it’s honestly amazing, it was so easy and smooth.”
Members of Omega Leos speak with representatives from the Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club during Saturday’s outreach event at Samaritan Resource Center in Orlando.
Emmy Bailey
The student organization is mentored by members of the Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club, who help guide the collegiate chapter through its early development.
“It’s a collaborative process,” said Teresa Pedroza, a member of the board of directors for the Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club. “We’re here to mentor them and teach them what it means to be part of a service organization.”
Beyond event coordination, mentors hope to instill service as a lifelong commitment.
“We’re trying to make it so that service becomes a part of their lives forever — not just something they check off for college applications,” Teresa Pedroza said. “If you can brighten up their day knowing they’re having at least one good meal today, to me that’s satisfying.”
Teresa Pedroza said while it’s difficult to witness ongoing need in the community, consistency matters.
“I wish they weren’t in the situation where they’re seeking support in the form of a meal,” she added. “But I’m glad that we’re here to do it for them.”
Hungry Saturdays creates a consistent space for connection among those who attend, members said.
“Normally, I come back here to get help from the agency, and everyone can come here to get community and connect with each other,” Keith Quinn, a participant at the event, said.
A community member grabs a meal and an apple during the ‘Hungry Saturday’ event on Saturday at the Samaritan Resource Center in Orlando. The outreach, organized by Omega Leos, provides meals and essential supplies to individuals seeking support.
Emmy Bailey
According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2025 Report, 588,450 individuals, or 1 in 7 neighbors, across Second Harvest Food Bank’s seven-county service area are food insecure. In Orange County, 13.9% of individuals are experiencing hunger, with report rates in each of the seven counties in Second Harvest’s coverage area that exceed the national average.
Teresa Pedroza added that seeing familiar faces week after week is bittersweet.
“You see some of the same faces over and over again, and that’s sad,” she added. “But I hope that they find comfort in the fact they’re seeing us on a regular basis.”
As the Omega Leos continue to grow, members say the goal remains simple: To build a campus culture where service is not an obligation, but a way of life.
“They don’t have to volunteer with Leos. They can just go out and volunteer their time,” Gabriel Pedroza said. “We just want people to come by and donate their time to make the community a better place.”