Biology Club Hosts Holiday Food Drive
Published: December 18, 2023 | Author: Abbie Cochrane | Read Time: 2 minutes
In the giving spirit of the season, Southern Utah University's Biology Club hosted a food drive and donated the accumulated proceeds to the HOPE Pantry. Collectively, the drive produced almost 1,000 pounds of food, nearly doubling the HOPE Pantry’s current stock for the holidays. The professor who raised the most food was Dr. Dillon Monroe.
The SUU Biology Club on campus has also just been reorganized, and having completed a food drive with this high of a success rate, the feat is nothing short of remarkable.
“Biology faculty and students–both club members and not–donated food to help others during this holiday season. I'm proud to be a part of such a giving department,” said Whitney Hoff, advisor for the SUU Biology Club.
The HOPE Pantry (Helping Our People Eat) provides essential food and toiletries to students of SUU and Southwest Tech while providing educational opportunities that help students learn food budgeting, meal prep and cooking skills. The HOPE Pantry works to raise awareness about food insecurity and food waste and encourages student engagement to address these issues in the community.
The SUU Hope Pantry has been in operation since 2002, setting the precedent as the first on-campus pantry in the country. A research study conducted by Temple University concluded that due to a lack of access to food with nutritional value - or simply any food at all - approximately 4 million college students nationwide experience food insecurity. Since the fall of 2019, the HOPE Pantry has seen over a 1,000 percent increase in use. From the 2022-23 school year, the pantry has seen a 77 percent increase in usage; approximately 190-250 students stop by weekly, providing each student with up to $50 worth of food and toiletries.
Students can access the HOPE Pantry on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm in room 120 of the Sharwan Smith Student Center. Learn more about the HOPE Pantry.
Tags: Campus College of Natural Sciences CurStu Clubs Biology
Contact Information:
Becki Bronson
4355865400
beckibronson@suu.edu