World Food Day Observance Marked by Lunch on University of Arkansas Campus

FAYETTEVILLE – A public observance of World Food Day, along with a free lunch and recognition of the sponsors of a communitywide food drive, will be held from noon until 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, in the Verizon Ballroom in the Arkansas Union. The food drive began Oct. 1 and will continue through Saturday, Oct. 16, World Food Day.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, a free Langar lunch of lentil dal and rice will be served. The Langar,or “free kitchen,” is a Sikh tradition designed to uphold the principle of equality among all people. Curt Rom, professor of horticulture, will deliver a lecture titled “I am Hungry,” keeping with the World Food Day theme of “United Against Hunger.”

World Food Day is an international event designed to increase awareness and understanding and to inform a yearlong action to alleviate hunger. The University of Arkansas has been named as an official collection site for this year’s event. The collection of items was also in conjunction with the third annual Southeastern Conference “Together We CAN Food Drive.” As of Sept. 26, more than 77,656 pounds of food has been collected for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. That amount includes the 10-to-1 match committed by Tyson Foods Inc., a chief sponsor for the food drive.

People are encouraged to donate food items such as dry beans, canned goods, peanut butter and other nonperishable foods at one of the drop-off locations listed below on the University of Arkansas campus and other locations in Fayetteville and Rogers.    

Drop-off locations:

• Arkansas World Trade Center
  3300 Market St., Suite 400, Rogers;

• University of Arkansas Global Campus at Rogers
  3300 Market St., Suite 420, Rogers

• University of Arkansas Global Campus at Fayetteville
  2 E. Center St., Fayetteville

• University of Arkansas Office of Study Abroad
  722 W. Maple St., Fayetteville

• Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce
  123 W. Mountain, Fayetteville

• All City of Fayetteville Fire Stations

• Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
  317 W. Walnut, Rogers AR 72756

• Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce
  200 E. Central Ave., Bentonville
  

• University of Arkansas Facilities Management
  521 S. Razorback Road, C-105, Fayetteville

• Northwest Arkansas Food Bank
  1378 June Self Drive, Bethel Heights

• Springdale Chamber of Commerce
  202 W. Emma, Springdale
  

The sponsors for this year’s food drive are: University of Arkansas, Tyson Foods, University of Arkansas department of intercollegiate athletics, Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, University of Arkansas Global Campus, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Arkansas World Trade Center, Applied Sustainability Center, the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, University of Arkansas Bookstores, the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

About the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank:

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, formerly the Ozark Food Bank, works to feed hungry people in the communities of northwest Arkansas through partnerships with other nonprofit hunger relief organizations. The food bank distributes millions of pounds of food per year and, in recent years, has expanded to include all of Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties. The 2000 Census indicated that Benton and Washington counties are two of the top three counties in Arkansas with the highest percentage of people living below poverty levels. The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is an affiliate of Feeding America and serves more than 125 agencies throughout northwest Arkansas.

About World Food Day:

World Food Day is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding and informed, year-around action to alleviate hunger. It is observed each Oct. 16 in recognition of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. The first World Food Day was in 1981. In the United States the endeavor is sponsored by 450 national, private voluntary organizations. This year, entities are encouraged to hold their own observances of World Food Day featuring local experts and issues rather than participate in a televised panel discussion.

About the SEC “Together We CAN Food Drive”:

The SEC “Together We CAN Food Drive” is a league-wide canned food and financial donation drive organized by Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members from each SEC institution. All items collected are given to local food banks. The annual 10-day collection event is publicized on the SEC website and during broadcasts (television and radio) where appropriate. At the conclusion of the drive, the SEC will announce the 12-school total of donations collected and highlight the work done by the student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference. The annual event is not a competition and is about collecting items for area citizens in need.