‘Journal Tribune’ reports on creation of 51С»Æ³µHunger Initiative
An effort to combat hunger by 51С»Æ³µstudents and staff was featured in an April 11, 2015 article in the Journal Tribune.
The article reported that Nicole Huang, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer who works at UNE’s Office of Citizenship and Civic Engagement, and junior Samantha Cottone, a Health, Wellness and Occupational Studies major, were inspired to create the 51С»Æ³µHunger Initiative as a chapter of the Food Recovery Network, a national nonprofit that encourages colleges to donate unused food from their dining halls to local food banks.
Staff members of Sodexo, UNE’s food service provider, collects unused food from three dining halls on the Biddeford campus, and student volunteers deliver it to the Bon Appetit community meal program in downtown Biddeford three times per week.
Cottone estimated that approximately 1,000 pounds of food have been donated thus far. She stated that the 51С»Æ³µHunger Initiative has enabled her to exercise her passion for "building access to healthy and nutritious food for those who do not have the means to do so on their own."