Full Circle Campus Food Pantry Finalist for National Award

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The Full Circle Campus Food Pantry is competing for a White House award.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Full Circle Campus Food Pantry is a finalist for the White House Campus Champions of Change Challenge. The top five winners will be invited to the White House to meet President Barack Obama and be recognized for their winning efforts.

Last fall, the White House announced the launch of the 2011 Campus Champions of Change Challenge. The contest received more than 1,400 entries from colleges across the country. The submission from the University of Arkansas is among the 15 finalists, and the public has the opportunity to vote for top five projects that they think best embody the president’s goal to “win the future.”

“All Across America, college and university students are helping our country out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” said Obama. “I hope this challenge shines a light on their efforts, and inspires Americans of all ages to get involved in their communities.”

“This is one of the most exciting things to happen since we opened the food pantry,” said Angela Oxford, assistant director of the center for leadership and community engagement. “The pantry has served more than 2,200 people in just its first year.”

To vote on any of the finalists:

• Online, go to the Campus Challenge website.

• If you have a Twitter account, you can also show support by sending a tweet with the name of the entry, “Full Circle Food Pantry,” to @jonCarson44, director of public engagement for the White House. Include the hashtag #votefullcircle.
  

• For people who are on Facebook, you can join the Full Circle Food Pantry event and invite friends to join.

The top five winners will be invited to an event at the White House, will be featured by mtvU and MTV Act and also host an episode of mtvU’s signature program, “The Dean’s List.”

The deadline to cast a vote is Saturday, March 3, at 10:59 p.m. Central time. As of Monday morning, the University of Arkansas entry was within the top five but competition was very tight.

The pantry is located in Bud Walton Hall on Stadium Drive, directly across from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. It is open two days each week, on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m. First-time applicants apply online or in person. Dependents and spouses of students and staff also benefit from the pantry.

The Full Circle Campus Food Pantry is a student-run program that was established by the Volunteer Action Center 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 will strive to nourish bodies, empower minds and build a community of compassion.

The Volunteer Action Center board is a student-run initiative that was created in 2005 in order to organize student volunteer efforts and programs on campus and be the contact point for nonprofit organizations within Northwest Arkansas.