The University Recreation Club Sports program area held its first ever food drive to benefit the Full Circle food pantry on campus. A total of 1,171 pounds of food was collected for the pantry.

Shannon Dere, assistant director of University Recreation for Club Sports, wanted to get the club teams involved in a community service project that was a competition but also something that would benefit the university community.  

“This being the first year, I thought my goal of a couple hundred pounds would be great to achieve,” said Dere. “The clubs far exceeded my expectations and really went above and beyond.” 

The food drive was made into a competition where teams earned points via poundage. At the end of the fiscal year the points earned from the food drive, in addition to other activities, will be assigned a dollar value that will allow the clubs to make necessary purchases for their club.

“The players on the Rugby club are competitive by nature,” said Ryan Boggs, University Recreation Rugby Club officer. “We were excited when we found out that we had the opportunity to compete and give back to our community at the same time. “

The top three club teams to donate food weighed in with the following results: Men’s Rugby, 390 lbs.; Men’s Lacrosse, 263 lbs.; and Cycling, 216 lbs.

The Full Circle campus food pantry was established by the Volunteer Action Center (VAC), as an emergency food assistance program that distributes food and personal products to all members of the University of Arkansas community.

For more information, please contact Shannon Dere at 479-575-6736 or sdere@uark.edu.