As faculty and staff at the University of Arkansas are considering the Red, White & True materials that arrived in mailboxes across campus last week, the opportunities to make a difference are growing.

New programs, like the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, are just getting off the ground and are already impacting lives. The pantry, established by the Volunteer Action Center within the Division of Student Affairs, is an emergency food assistance program that distributes food and personal products to all members of the University of Arkansas community.

“Arkansas ranks number one in the nation in food insecurity, which is hunger,” said Angela Oxford, assistant director for leadership and community engagement at the University of Arkansas. “Eighteen percent of residents — one in six — are dealing with hunger, so we felt like if that’s the case, it must be true for students, too. We were hearing about students sneaking food and hoarding food at events. We also heard of students sleeping in the union, in their cars, even ‘couch surfing,’ if you will.”

All of the provisions for the pantry must be provided through food or monetary donations. A list of needs is kept in the Full Circle office, so if people call with an interest in donating, the volunteers and staff members can give helpful information.

“In our first 11 days, we helped 81 people and their families,” said Oxford.

Moving forward, additional monetary gifts, like those made through Red, White & True, are needed to enable the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry to expand its services. One of the things that has been talked about is a lunch bag program. The pantry would offer non-perishables like packages of soup that only require water, mac and cheese and granola bars. Different offices across campus could help disseminate the goods to those who have a need.

Full Circle is a student-run program that offers an accessible, compassionate and dignified environment to provide for the nutritional needs of the University of Arkansas community so its members can fully focus on their education. The idea for the pantry began with a forwarded email about a similar program at Michigan State University. The Volunteer Action Center student board learned about it and thought it was a great service to bring to the University of Arkansas.

As you consider involvement in this year’s Red, White & True campus giving initiative, remember there are countless areas that appreciate and need your support. Give to the area you are most passionate about, and make a difference today for the YOU of A.

More information on Red, White & True can be found here, or you may contact Merin Macechko, associate director of Annual Programs, at merin@uark.edu or 479-575-2280.