UAFS fridges filled on Friday
The Dave Stevens Lion Pride Pantry, the LionHeart student organization, and Antioch for Youth & Family will deliver perishable and nonperishable food for the students Friday in Fort Smith.
“Antioch has been interested in partnering with UAFS for a long time,” said Kara Crowley, Coordinator for Student Activities and Civic Engagement.
Crowley said Charolette Tidwell, founder of Antioch for Youth & Family supported the idea to start a ‘"Fill the Fridge" program for all on-campus apartments
Antioch will deliver about 200 boxes and bags to campus. Each apartment in Sebastian Commons will receive 60 pounds to 70 pounds of food to start the semester with groceries in the pantry and fridge. On the first Tuesday of each month, Antioch will deliver 75 boxes of food for distribution to the apartments, according to a UAFS news release.
Tidwell said the goal is to build momentum with food pantry knowledge and utilization, improve diets with nutritious food, and build community effort on the college campus.
Antioch is an all-volunteer nonprofit serving those in need with fresh produce, nonperishable food, and other necessities. Tidwell is a UAFS alumna of the class of 1974.
Tidwell said the deliveries would have milk, eggs, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, and bread.
Nonperishable, pantry-stable foods like peanut butter, pasta and pasta sauce, canned soup, oatmeal, and canned fruit will be delivered.
Crowley stated, "Through this event, we hope to draw attention to the resources we have in the community and on campus for students, no matter if they live on campus or not. ‘Fill the Fridge’ is a launching point for students to visit our own food pantry, knowing that it is a resource for all UAFS students."
A post-pandemic report by the Forbes Advisor showed that 52 percent of food- and housing-insecure students do not apply for aid because they don’t know how, according to the UAFS news release.
The report states that COVID-19 worsened food and housing challenges, and in the fall of 2020, 34% of college students reported they experienced food insecurity in the previous 30 days. Students who contracted the virus were more likely to experience food insecurity than those who did not. More than one-third of students know someone who dropped out of school because of difficulties affording food, the report states.
The Dave Stevens Lion Pride Pantry opened in August 2019 as a blessing box near the Recreation and Wellness Center. A large-scale food pantry opened inside the RAWC. The pantry was in the perfect position to help when COVID-19 brought much of the world to a halt. In its first six months, the pantry served about 450 sacks of groceries to feed students, employees, and their families.
Tidwell founded Antioch to address the nutrition needs of children, the elderly, and veterans in Fort Smith. The organization helps feed more than 10,400 people annually, providing them with over 800,000 meals.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Food delivered to University of Arkansas Fort Smith students Friday
