UW-Madison students will host a food drive to help stock a local food pantry weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The student organization Mind Body Badger and student brand ambassadors for Aerie will partner to collect canned food and nonperishable food items for the River Food Pantry as part of the Give REAL initiative.
The initiative supports Giving Tuesday, a movement that celebrates an international day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Mckenzie Halling, a student brand ambassador for Aerie, said the initiative is a “kickstart to the charitable season” and is meant to get students thinking about how they can support their local community.
“It’s important to give back and spread positivity to others, especially during the holiday season, which is a good time to remember and be thankful for what you have while also remembering to give back to others,” Halling said.
Halling said the issue of homelessness on campus and around the Madison community is why the students decided to host a food drive.
“We wanted to give back to a food pantry where they can provide food to people who are low-income or homeless,” Halling said. “It’s a way for students to feel like they’re doing something that is helping the community.”
Students can bring their donations to the Multipurpose Room on the fourth floor of the Student Activities Center between 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Mind Body Badger will be hosting a workout class during this time as well, where donating students can participate in a workout class, using their canned goods as weights before donating.
