Volunteer Action Center's Food Programs Receive $35,000 Grant from Tyson Foods

Photo Submitted

Pat Bourke with Tyson Foods presented the check

Razorback Food Recovery and Full Circle Food Pantry are pleased to announce the receipt of a $35,000 grant from Tyson Foods to purchase new equipment and expand the programs.

Razorback Food Recovery is a signature program of the Volunteer Action Center that works with student and staff volunteers to recover the surplus food from campus. Razorback Food Recovery works closely with Chartwells Dining Services on the University of Arkansas campus to recover food from retail sites and dining halls on campus.

In February 2014, Razorback Food Recovery launched 'Phase 1' of its operations, which involved recovering food from retail sites on campus. 'Phase 2' will begin in the fall semester and will expand recovery efforts to campus dining halls. Razorback Food Recovery is partners with and donates food to Full Circle Campus Pantry and other local organizations throughout the Northwest Arkansas community. Since launching, Razorback Food Recovery has recovered 17,000 pounds of food, a large portion of that was recovered during the Walmart Shareholders meeting in June which was made possible by the donation of a freezer truck from Tyson Foods.

Full Circle Pantry is a signature program of the Volunteer Action Center and was established on campus in 2011 to serve students, faculty and staff who experience food insecurity. The Pantry is located in Walton Residence Hall and is open to anyone with a university ID. Clients visiting the pantry are provided with a three day supply of food for their family as well as limited household and hygiene items. On average, the Pantry serves 200 to 250 per week and depends on the generosity of the campus community to keep shelves stocked.

The grant will provide one year of support for each of the programs and will provide a new walk-in freezer as well as refrigeration units for the pantry and recovery sites. For more information about these programs, including information on volunteering and donating, please visit service.uark.edu.