CAMRY DEAN
Staff Writer
The Feeding Fredonia Challenge began this Monday, Oct. 10 and will run until Friday, Oct. 14.
The campus and community-wide food donation drive, which first started in October 2014, will benefit the Fredonia Food Pantry at the First United Presbyterian Church of Fredonia.
Pastor Cynthia Wickwire Lundquist of the Presbyterian Church encourages all students, faculty and staff members to help those in need throughout the community this week by donating any non-perishable items.
While all donations towards the pantry will be accepted, food items such as canned fruits and vegetables, rice, soup, pasta, peanut butter, cereal, coffee, dry milk and canned meats are recommended.
The food pantry works directly with the Chautauqua County Rural Ministries in Dunkirk to provide food on the third Saturday of every month to those in need, including students in the campus community.
“The big effort we’re working on right now is trying to get the word out to SUNY Fredonia students. The pantry is also available to them,” Lundquist said. “Many of us remember what it was like in school, and that’s part of the community that we haven’t been able to reach yet.”
In two years, the pantry has been able to give over 700 bags of food to those in need, including families with small children, working families with no fixed income, and elderly community members who have expensive medical bills.
Pastor Lindquist said that the pantry is not government-run, and the church only asks for your name and address when visiting, strictly for statistical reports for the Rural Ministry. No photo ID is required.
“If someone comes and they say they need food and they’re from Fredonia, we’ll give it to them,” said Lundquist.
Two years ago, 15 to 20 percent of the food pantry assistance provided by the Rural Ministry for those in need were Fredonia families, and since then, the pantry has opened up and receiving food has become more accessible.
While Fredonia rests 2.8 percent above the average families living below the poverty line, the need for donations is high, and the efforts are coming from the entire community.
Last year, Fredonia Central School collected almost 3,000 pounds of food, and there are currently 75 to 80 local businesses that are accepting donated food items.
Volunteer and Community Services Coordinator Joyce H. Smith and campus volunteers have been working strenuously to get the word out to aid the First Presbyterian Church and the Fredonia Food Pantry.
Volunteer and Community Services intern and senior marketing major Courtney White has been able to experience the project from both a volunteer and student perspective.
“As a student, I want more students to become involved, and that’s why I became involved with this internship. I feel like having volunteer experience is beneficial, no matter what their major is,” Winter said. “I just really want to help promote volunteer community service because I want more students to become involved in events, such as the Feeding Fredonia Challenge.
“I know that Fredonia is a very small place, but then when you venture out to places that need volunteers, that need that kind of help, it’s really rewarding for the individual to give back.”
The donation drive, which is a community-wide effort, is accepting donations in small, marked boxes from the Fredonia campus community with seven locations on campus, as well as a box in each of the lobbies of the Residence Halls.
Boxes are located by the cafes in Fenton, Thompson, McEwen and Mason Halls, as well as the main entrance to the Williams Center, Room 221 of the Science Center and Dods Hall.
Hoping to collect over 5,700 pounds of food for families in need, students, faculty and staff are all encouraged to do their part.
“We need to build sustainable community partnerships,” Joyce H. Smith said. “It’s important that we, on campus, give back to the community, and Feeding Fredonia is certainly one way to give back to those families in need.”