Help spread some campus and community love at a free cookie decorating today, Monday Feb. 5, in the International Connections Lounge. Chartwells is hosting the event with help from students with the Volunteer Action Center. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the campus community will have the opportunity to decorate two cookies, one to eat or give and one to donate to food insecure individuals through Razorback Food Recovery.

Six hundred pre-baked, heart-shaped sugar cookies will be at the ready for embellishing. Stations will be set with sheets of parchment, icing and sprinkles. Volunteer students will then wrap and distribute the donated cookies.

A similar event was held during the 2017 Holiday season, where over 360 total cookies were decorated and donated. About 90 cookies went to campus customers through the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry. The remaining cookies were delivered to the Yvonne Richardson Center, which provides services to food insecure families with children in Fayetteville. The Valentine's event will follow this same distribution plan and promises to be a creative, study-break that also spreads some love. Don't miss it!

About Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services: Chartwells is the recognized leader in contract foodservice management, hospitality and award-winning guest service within 270 college and university dining environments throughout academic institutions across the U.S. Chartwells' new brand mantra, "Where Hungry Minds Gather," signifies its commitment to reinventing the dining experience for the next generation of students and beyond. Our nutritious cuisine not only satisfies the unique appetites, lifestyles and dietary needs of every guest dining on campus, but it also brings people together to promote the high-intensity relationships that will prepare students for the future. For more information, visit Chartwells' websites at ChartwellsHigherEd.com, ChartwellsMonthly.com, and DineonCampus.com, or call toll-free at 1-855-9-Gather (855-942-8437).

About the Razorback Food Recovery and the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry: The Razorback Food Recovery and the Gearhart Food Pantry are student-run food assistance programs led by the Volunteer Action Center. The Razorback Food Recovery works closely with Chartwells Dining Services to recover food from all Chartwells locations on campus. Since its foundation in February 2014, the program has recovered over 124,000 pounds of high-quality, wholesome food from campus and community locations and provided more than 19,000 meals to community hunger assistance agencies. The pantry was established on campus in 2011 to serve students, faculty and staff who experience food insecurity. It is located in Walton Residence Hall and is open to anyone with a university ID. Clients visiting the pantry are provided with a three-day supply of food for their family as well as limited household and hygiene items. The pantry serves an average of 300 people per week and depends on the generosity of the campus community to keep shelves stocked.