UAPB 4-H Hosts “Feed the Funnel” Event for Local Food Pantries

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) 4-H Youth Development Program and UAPB STEM Academy recently co-hosted a “Feed the Funnel” volunteer event to support local food pantries and food-serving organizations, Teki Hunt, director of UAPB’s 4-H program, said. Volunteers from UAPB and community organizations met at the UAPB STEM Academy and Conference Center early on a Saturday morning with the shared goal of combatting food insecurity in Jefferson County.

“We held this food-packing event as a way to kick off National 4-H Week, which was Oct. 1-7,” she said. “The event brought together UAPB 4-H and UAPB Collegiate 4-H members, STEM Academy students, 4-H youth participants and adult leaders from the Verizon Innovative Learning Initiative. We also had help from members of other registered student organizations, the UAPB Royal Court, UAPB faculty/staff and other community members.”

Hunt said she surpassed her goal to organize 100 volunteers and pack 30,000 meals. In the end, 145 volunteers showed up to pack over 30,600 meals that were distributed to over 10 food pantries and organizations in Jefferson County.

The UAPB Office of Student Involvement and Leadership supports co-curricular programming through collaboration with campus partners, Frank D. Dorsey II, dean of the office, said.

“Service-learning projects hosted by our 4-H Youth Development Program often expose students to inequality and injustice in societies while allowing them to make a difference,” he said. “The Feed the Funnel event was a great opportunity to ensure that our Student Government Association and National Panhellenic Council leaders contributed to the campus’ outreach efforts as an 1890 land-grant institution.”

Trenten Wills, president of the UAPB Student Government Association, said he found immense joy in witnessing the unity and dedication of the various university organizations that came together to make the project a success.

“It’s truly inspiring to see our students rallying together and disregarding personal commitments to serve their communities,” he said. “This event vividly underscores the timeless truth that ‘need knows no season.’”

ArcBest, a supply chain logistics company that has employed several UAPB alumni, was the fiscal sponsor for the food packing event. The funds the company donated afforded the ingredients for meals of red beans and rice that were distributed to the food pantries.

“During the event, volunteers received general information about food security and heard about the high rates of food insecurity in the state and in Jefferson County,” she said. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arkansas is one of the 10 poorest states in the country. The national poverty rate is 10.5 percent, with Arkansas’ rate being 16.2 percent. In Jefferson County, the poverty rate is 20.3 percent.”

Hunt said she decided to plan a food packing party at UAPB after having participated in a similar event coordinated by the Pack Shack. The organization’s mission is to increase awareness about food security issues affecting communities, provide food and other items to local nonprofit organizations and encourage people to get involved in volunteer opportunities to serve their neighbors.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.