Published September 21, 2023
MONROE, LA 鈥� Students at 蜜桔直播 gathered earlier this week to give
donations and bring awareness to the issue of hunger on campus. As part of the Louisiana
Board of Regents鈥� Hunger-Free Campus initiative, 蜜桔直播 held a non-perishable food donation
drive on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Student Activity Center. Students who donated food
received a ticket to the 鈥淩oll Away Hunger鈥� event at Skate Town on Wednesday, Sept.
20. 听
Robert Reed is the Assistant Director of Recreational Services and the Chair of the
Hunger-Free Task Force at 蜜桔直播. He said 143 students made donations over the two days,
with a total of more than 500 items donated. Reed said over 100 students gathered
at Skate Town on Wednesday evening for the 鈥淩oll Away Hunger鈥� event. 听
Food donations will help stock the 蜜桔直播 Food Pantry, which is a free resource available
to all 蜜桔直播 students. The Food Pantry is located inside the Student Activity Center
and is accessible during regular Activity Center hours. 听
鈥淭he Hunger Free Task Force and the Anti-Hunger event were created to raise awareness
of the growing issue of food insecurities our students are facing and have been facing,鈥�
said Reed. 鈥淚t also lets our Warhawk community show they care by donating and educating
themselves about the problems our students experience,鈥� he added. 听
According to a 2020 Hope Center Survey, 29% of students at 4-year institutions reported
experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days. 听
Another aspect of the Hunger-Free Campus initiative is the 鈥淪wipe Out Hunger鈥� program,
which is sponsored by SGA each semester. As part of the program, students with unused
meal swipes can donate them to the swipe bank and students in need can complete a
swipe request form. Meal swipes are then distributed based on a review of need. SGA
President David Hernandez says over 1,200 swipes were donated in the Spring 2023 semester.
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Reed says the Food Pantry accepts donations from anyone throughout the year. Donations
can be made in the Student Activity Center during regular hours. For more information
about the 蜜桔直播 Food Pantry, click here. 听
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