Students from Humboldt State University's Service Learning Center organized a collaborative, regional food drive in the months of March and April that raised 2,776 pounds of food and an additional $2,320 for Food for People, the Eureka food bank.
Partnering organizations in the North Coast community included the Girl Scouts of Sierra Cascade, Boy Scouts of AmericaRedwood Empire Council, Curves on Broadway in Eureka, Curves in Cutten, Umpqua Bank, and Temple Bethel.
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 $2,320 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.), the Residence Hall Association, and the Sustainable Living Arts and Music (SLAM) Festival planning committee.
The HSU Service Learning Centers 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.
Loretta Vallot, 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."
Contact: Mike Cipra, Community Partner Liaison for Service Learning, (707) 826-4963 or mcc21@humboldt.edu