ECU one of 18 campuses partnering to address food insecurity in NC

North Carolina Campus Compact has joined forces with Food Lion Feeds to launch a Collegiate Challenge that will mobilize colleges and universities to address hunger in their local communities.

East Carolina University is among a group of 18 geographically diverse schools — including four-year colleges and universities and two-year community colleges — that will host events to raise awareness about hunger in partnership with their local food banks, on-campus pantries and local Food Lion stores.

Winning schools can receive $10,000 for the most engagement and creativity on campus, and a second award of $10,000 will be presented to the campus that collects the most food – adjusted for school size – in a food drive. Funds will support hunger-related initiatives; ECU plans to use the funds to support the Purple Pantry, an on-campus initiative tackling food insecurity among the student population. The Collegiate Challenge began in September and runs through December.

“We are excited to partner with N.C. Campus Compact and these 18 campuses that are already doing so much around food insecurity,” said Pat Taft, community relations manager for Food Lion. “It is a natural fit for us because we are passionate about feeding our neighbors who shop with us and those who may have the difficult task of choosing between rent and gas and groceries. We want to encourage the great work these students are already doing and by supporting their efforts we can broaden the reach of our hunger relief efforts in the towns and cities we serve.”

ECU has selected Hannah Grant, a senior studying social work, to lead the campaign. Grant was selected because of her passion to address hunger and her work this summer with the Purple Pantry. Through this experience, she saw firsthand how food insecurity affects the students at ECU and how it, in turn, affects the whole community. The faculty/staff mentor is Nichelle Shuck, associate director in the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

For more information contact Hannah Grant at granth15@students.ecu.edu or follow on social media at @ECUCLCE or #FoodLionFeeds.

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Contact: Nichelle E. Shuck, associate director, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement

Telephone: 252-328-6979

Email: shuckn@ecu.edu