by: Sam Scott | News Writer

As Thanksgiving Break approaches, there is a chance that some students and their families are not going to eat well for the holidays. 

Volunteer A-State, along with the Student Philanthropy Council, are making sure every Red Wolf will have a meal for Thanksgiving.

According to a study from Feeding America called, “The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020”, Arkansas is currently ranked as having the second highest rate of projected food insecurity at 20.5%. This leads to about one in five Arkansans dealing with food insecurity in 2020. Considering the effects COVID-19 has inflicted in Arkansas, this could pose a serious issue in regards to lower-income college students who may not have enough to eat during the upcoming Thanksgiving Break.

Volunteer A-State and the Student Philanthropy Council is hoping to fill in the gap for students with their Fill the Freezer fundraiser. 

Executive member of Volunteer A-State and Co-Chair for the A-State Food Pantry Kaleb Webb explained the overall goal of the fundraiser. 

“The Fill the Freezer fundraiser is raising funds so that we can provide turkeys in our holiday food bags,” Webb said. “Every year around the holiday season, the food pantry makes specialized holiday bags so that users of the food pantry have an opportunity to enjoy typical holiday foods.”

The overall goal for the fundraiser is to raise $1,500. As of Nov. 11, Volunteer A-State has managed to reach its goal, a little more than a week before its deadline on Nov. 20. 

What comes included with the holiday food bag will contain more than just turkey for Thanksgiving. 

“We put items like cake mix, green beans, corn, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce and more in the bags,” Webb said.

Most of the items were provided by many organizations on campus who were contacted by Webb and A-State Food Pantry Co-Chair Sydney Stauffer.

Webb said, “My co-chair and I reached out to numerous organizations on campus to ask if they would be willing to gather donations of those items and donate them to the food pantry and the response has been amazing.”

Before the pandemic, the food pantry was running normally with several volunteers working three shifts on Mondays and Thursdays. Students, faculty and staff were able to walk in anytime and get the assistance they needed.

Even when the pandemic first hit, it didn’t stop the food pantry from providing service to students and faculty. 

“When the pandemic hit, we had to change the way we operate, but we stayed open,” Webb said. “After campus closed in March and into the summer, the pantry shifted to being open for a few hours one day a week with a few staff members running it.”

In response to COVID-19, the Food Pantry implemented a drive-thru service, where users would stay in their cars as the staff members and volunteers packed up what they needed and gave it to them.

“Once campus opened back up, we were able to get somewhat ‘back to normal,’” Webb said. “Though the number of volunteers are limited, we were fortunate enough to open back up two days a week (Mondays and Thursdays from 2 – 6 p.m.) and remain in service to our campus using the drive-thru style.”

Normally, the Food Pantry serves 20-30 families/individuals per month. 

Although the pandemic did leave a significant impact on campus life for the food pantry, Webb said, “Surprisingly, we haven’t seen that much of an increase in usage since the pandemic began. It’s been about the same.”

In the past, the Food Pantry collaborated with many organizations on campus. Along with the Student Philanthropy Council, they have also worked with the Student Government Association, Black Student Association, National Panhellenic Conference and its sororities, Honors College Association, Dance Marathon and numerous others. 

“We can not thank each of these organizations enough for their support,” Webb said.

Even though the fundraiser reached its goal, they are still open for donations for the Fill the Freezer fundraiser. Plus, they are open for donations, even after the fundraiser is over.

“If they would like to donate items, they can stop by the pantry Monday or Thursday from 2-6 p.m., or drop off donations in the Leadership Center,” Webb said.

The A-State Food Pantry is exclusively open to students, faculty and staff with a current ID. However, there are other food banks in Jonesboro open for non-students, such as the Helping Neighbors Food Pantry and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.

The food pantry is open Mondays and Thursdays from 2-6 p.m., located at 2907 E. Johnson Ave. near Centennial Bank Stadium. The Fill the Freezer fundraiser will close Nov. 20. Anyone interested in donating can go on www.astatealumni.org/foodpantry while it is still open.

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