Annual 'Give a Cookie, Get a Cookie' Returns to Kick Off Holiday Season

Photo by Kristin Frazier

Students showing off two cookie creation at the 2017 event

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK –Chartwells  Campus Dining and the U of A Volunteer Action Center will host the third annual “Give a Cookie, Get a Cookie” event  from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.5 in the International Connections Lounge of the Arkansas Union. The campus community will have the opportunity to decorate two cookies, one to go to a food insecure student or child within the Northwest Arkansas community and another to take home -or savor on the spot. There will be icing and sprinkles provided to allow everyone to get creative and embrace the season of giving.

Once the cookies are decorated, they will be taken to the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry and given to pantry customers. In the case of overflow, student volunteers from Razorback Food Recovery will distribute the cookies to various community resources such as: the Yvonne Richardson Community Center, Salvation Army and LifeSource International. Last year this stress-relieving activity, just before finals week, resulted in over 400 festive, carefully detailed cookies being donated.

“We are excited to partner with Chartwells again this year for the Give a Cookie, Get a Cookie event,” said Claire Allison, assistant director of the Center for Community Engagement. “Chartwells is one of the original supporters of both the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry and the Razorback Food Recovery program and we are so grateful for our continued partnership which allows us to serve our community and participate in fun, festive events like this one.”

The Razorback Food Recovery program is a part of the U of A’s Volunteer Action Center. Student volunteers in the program work throughout the year to alleviate hunger on campus and in the community by recovering unused food from dining facilities and distributing 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.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.