UW-Madison sororities, ASM create donation drive to combat hunger during holiday

While many UW-Madison students feasted with their families over the Thanksgiving holiday, some Badgers were struggling to avoid hunger.

UW-Madison sororities and the Associated Students of Madison worked together to solve this problem through the creation of a donation drive, “Thanks-Greeking,” that collected nonperishable food items and personal care products for students facing food insecurity on campus.

The week-long campaign raised over 230 pounds of food and toiletries for UW-Madison’s on-campus food pantry, The Open Seat.

According to Courtney Morrison, ASM’s press office director, the idea for “Thanks-Greeking” was initiated when Tye Swokowski, The Open Seat’s external director, shared that “the demand for the [food pantry] has nearly doubled over the past school year.”

“The Greek system is very oriented towards service, and each chapter traditionally holds a lot of
pride in their individual chapter philanthropy they are a part of,” Morrison said in a release. “This campaign was very unique in that it brought every chapter together for a common cause, a cause that has the ability to impact other Badgers on our campus directly.”

The effort comes after a campus climate survey revealed food insecurity as a prevalent issue among students.

The survey showed that 12 percent of UW-Madison students were unable to afford housing or food. Transfer students and students of underrepresented identities were most likely to report that they could not afford these necessities.

Kim Gromek, The Open Seat’s internal director, said in a press release that campus donation drives are an important way for “students to give back to their peers.”

“By collecting items for The Open Seat, students are not only raising awareness about college food insecurity, but also providing necessities to those in need, which allows [students] to focus on their studies,” Gromek said.