Partnering organizations in the North Coast community included the Boy Scouts of America — Redwood Empire Council; Girl Scouts — Sierra Cascade; Curves on Broadway, in Eureka; Curves in Cutten; Umpqua Bank; Northcoast Youth Summit; Arcata Methodist Church; and Seeds of Change.
On campus, the Service Learning Center worked with Ron Rudebock and Dining Services to implement a points donation system whereby students could donate a portion of their meal points toward the hunger-fighting campaign. In less than two weeks, HSU students donated a total of $1,665 in meal points. These meal points are being used to purchase vital, high-protein food supplies that will be delivered directly to Food for People, the Eureka food bank.
In addition to Dining Services, other partners on campus included Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.), and the Residence Hall Association.
The HSU Service Learning Center’s efforts are part of a nationwide movement, spurred by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness and the Feinstein Foundation, to combat hunger across the country. The Feinstein Foundation is encouraging broad-based student efforts through a $1 million challenge grant. Hunger relief agencies will receive a percentage of the $1 million based on the amount of food and money they collected during March and April, in proportion to the total amount of food and money raised nationwide.
Jasmine Manuel, one of the principal student organizers of this initiative, said “The Feinstein Challenge is a great example of creating change in Humboldt County by building coalitions. The collaboration of multiple organizations has made this food drive a success.”