Home is defined as “where one lives.” While the word can be interpreted in multiple ways, Fresno is “home” to every Fresno State student.

As of 2011, 501,362 people call Fresno home. Fresno also houses the highest food insecurity rate in the nation, sitting at 27.2 percent. Over a quarter of our population lacks the security of knowing they can eat on a consistent basis.

Of those individuals who call Fresno home, 25.8 percent of us are living at or below the poverty line.

This is not to say that Fresno State students are living like kings. It is not a joke when it’s said that college students live off of Top Ramen for months and use our credit card hoping not to hear the word “declined” soon after.

Many college students actually would be defined as living at or below the poverty line. This is why the Bulldog Pantry is in place.

In 2007, the Bulldog Pantry was created to help solve the hunger problem and food insecurity issue in the area. Since then, 5,210 families have been served, reaching 23,950 individuals. That is more than the number of students enrolled in Fresno State.

With so many students and community members affected by hunger and poverty, it is vital for Fresno State students to give back. As Bulldogs, we are all connected for the next few years.

We have the same exam schedules, understand the chaotic lifestyle of work, classes, clubs and attempting to maintain a social life. Some of us have families and significant others we care and worry about.

Where the next meal is coming from should be the last thing on the mind of a busy college student. The Bulldog Pantry in the last six years has grown into a well-needed food pantry that provides opportunities for students to give back.

Associated Students Inc., along with several other organizations, is planning an event to directly benefit the Bulldog Pantry and its constituency: a dance marathon.

Imagine the fourth-grade jog-a-thon, but big kid style.

The venue and music were planned to keep people entertained for eight hours straight. All of the proceeds from this event will go to help our home ”” the community in which Fresno State students live.

Attending the dance marathon and raising money won’t turn that Top Ramen into a steak or give you with a bulging wallet, but will assist the 23,950 people who have already been helped and will allow that number to grow.

The marathon begins Saturday at 6 p.m. and ends at 2 a.m. Registration and more information can be found at www.asidancemarathon.com