The Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH) club raised money last week to buy meals for hungry students worldwide.
The club set up a Fill the Cup booth on Dexter Lawn on Wednesday and in the University Union plaza on Thursday to show students how their change can be used to fight world hunger.
A 25-cent donation paid for a cup of rice, which can feed a hungry child for a day. Donations could also be made through online quizzes, where every question answered correctly donates rice. At the end of the fundraiser, people had donated about $200. UFWH club president and social sciences senior Sara Prendergast said the Fill the Cup fundraiser is a smart way to start off the club, which officially formed last quarter.
“This is a great way for people to make a difference in fighting world hunger without having to give too much time or money,” Prendergast said. “Everyone always has some extra change with them, and a little goes a long way.”
UFWH is an international organization that encourages higher learning institutions to help fight world hunger and include the issue in their educational priorities.
UFWH is partnered with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which began the Fill the Cup program and sponsors the online free rice quiz program. The WFP will take the donations from this fundraiser and distribute food around the world.
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Associate Dean Dr. Mary Pedersen registered Cal Poly with UFWH at the October 2007 national conference in Alabama. Pedersen researches food security issues and teaches the World Food Systems class in the spring. She said she was excited when the club’s creators expressed interest in a group focused on world hunger and was eager to be the faculty adviser.
“I’ve always been very passionate about world hunger issues, and I’m pleased that we finally got a charter to start a UFWH club at Cal Poly,” Pedersen said. “We want to give as much help as we can and make people more aware of the issue.”
Business administration senior Meghan Hazlett, the club’s vice-president, said getting the club to this point was a long process but well worth it.
“We had issues at first keeping the club active long enough to make it official and we didn’t get much interest, but last quarter it really came together,” Hazlett said. “I hope the Fill the Cup fundraiser gets people’s attention. Our long-term goal is to fight hunger on a global scale, but these smaller, more local activities are more tangible to students.”
Journalism freshman Jordan Bell was among the students who donated Thursday.
“It’s a simple idea that can really help with world hunger, and I had a dollar on me, so I thought, ‘Why not?’” Bell said.
Cal Poly’s UFWH club intends to hold other activities like food drives in the future, but it also has a vision for the university. Hazlett said issues like sustainability can be further integrated into the school’s curriculum.
“I think that students need to connect the idea of world hunger with its real causes and solutions to really understand why it’s a serious issue,” Hazlett said.