Cooking Their Hearts Out

When Unity Club cofounder Olivia Luebbert ('26) woke on New Year’s Day to news of the overnight attack in the French Quarter, she was devastated. Luebbert is a native of Belle Chasse, a New Orleans suburb, and she felt called to assist those impacted by the tragedy in her hometown. Luebbert immediately thought of Unity Club, the student organization that she co-founded with Danny Ye (’26), Paulina Hsiau (’26), Lire Stein-Donalson (’26), and several other LSMSA students during the Fall ’24 semester. The purpose of Unity Club is to unite the student body through philanthropy and community service.  

“When I woke up and saw what happened, a heavy weight was definitely on my heart,” Luebbert said. “I went to our membership immediately and said: ‘We need to do something.’”

Within hours, Unity Club had announced a bake sale with all proceeds benefiting the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

“We really hit the ground running,” Luebbert said. “This was our biggest sale yet. We took preorders, we spent a lot more money than we normally do, and we raised a lot more money than we normally do.”

The bake sale was held on Jan. 10. Within a few days of the sale, the club announced that it would host a second food fundraiser on Jan. 15 featuring dumplings and homemade fried rice. Ye prepared the food in the shared kitchen of LSMSA’s Living Learning Commons. Friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers stopped by to help fold delivery containers. At the conclusion of both fundraisers, the group had raised approximately $520.00 for victims of the New Orleans attack.   

Though Unity Club has been active at LSMSA for less than a year, the group has already established a reputation for its food-oriented fundraisers. Several campus organizations have hosted bake sales at LSMSA (Luebbert calls this a “go-to” fundraising model at the school), but it is rarer to encounter fundraisers featuring hot meals. But their novelty isn’t the only reason Unity Club’s food fundraisers have succeeded. The word is also getting out that Ye is one of the most talented cooks among the LSMSA student body. 

“For me, food is a way to express my love to my loved ones,” Ye said. “At home, I cook a lot for my siblings and parents.”

He added that he only learned to cook two years ago, when a family member’s ailing health required him to do so.

“When I was home, I learned how to cook to take care of my family. I started out by googling recipes, asking my mom for tips or tricks, and then I brought it here,” he said.

The members of Unity Club are careful to point out that the purpose of their organization is not to become a “foodie club,” but rather to bring people together—good food just happens to speed that process along. Unity Club has big plans for the Spring ’25 semester, including a tentative Culture Day on March 15 and a to-be-announced sale featuring the popular Korean food gimbap. Follow Unity Club on Instagram here.  

ABOUT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AT LSMSA
LSMSA student organizations perform community service, attend conferences and conventions, sponsor activities on campus, and participate in fundraising. Together with the various student services departments, student clubs enhance the quality of life for the entire LSMSA community. There are more than 60 clubs and organizations from which students can choose to participate, and any student who wants to start a new club can do so.

For more information, or to apply for admission to LSMSA, visit www.LSMSA.edu/apply.