Full Circle Campus Food Pantry Receives Support from the Walmart Foundation

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The funds will be used to purchase food and supplies to keep the pantry stocked, to pay for an intern and to finish projects in the Full Circle Food Pantry’s space, such as installation of a reception area and an alarm system.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This month the Walmart Foundation made a gift of  $36,956 to support the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry at the University of Arkansas. The food pantry helps provide emergency food assistance to students and staff on campus.

The funds will be used in part to buy food and supplies to keep the pantry stocked, to pay for an intern who will assist with running the pantry. The donation will also help to complete final projects in the food pantry space such as the installation of an alarm system and a reception area. 

“We are immensely grateful to the Walmart Foundation and their committee for considering and funding our request,” said Angela Oxford, assistant director of the center for leadership and community engagement. “ This project has been such a labor of love for the students and staff who've helped launch the program, and this is just a huge affirmation that we are moving in the right direction to serve our students who are in need or in crisis. Each month the number of students and staff who make requests from the pantry grows. In the first 22 days we've been open we've filled more than 119 requests. This generous gift will allow us to continue to meet the ever-growing needs of students and staff who are facing hunger.”

”At Walmart we’ve committed $2 billion to hunger relief through 2015, said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re the nation’s largest grocer and we feel a responsibility to help ensure no one is going to bed hungry.”

The Full Circle Campus Food Pantry is a student-run program that was established by the Volunteer Action Center within the Division of Student Affairs as an emergency assistance program that distributes food and toiletries to any member of the University of Arkansas community. The Full Circle Campus Food Pantry strives to nourish bodies, empower minds and build a community of compassion.

The student-run Volunteer Action Center board was created in 2005 to organize student volunteer efforts and programs on campus and be the contact point for nonprofit organizations within Northwest Arkansas. The volunteer board seeks to engage and inspire students through volunteer experiences for the enhancement of their overall educational learning while providing awareness, support and access to service opportunities.