The Bear Essentials Food Pantry has received a $5,000 grant from the Arkansas Hunger Alliance. The funds were used to purchase a commercial freezer.
The pantry began participating in the Nutrition Pantry Program (NPP) sponsored by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance last fall. In January, it received a $5,000 grant from NPP/Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
Also, the Arkansas Food Bank partnered the food pantry with Aldi, a new grocery store chain in Conway, through their Retail Partner Program. To date, the Bear Essentials Food Pantry has received over six tons of food from Aldi.
“So when we got the grant, we knew we needed to purchase another commercial freezer,” said Wendy Holbrook, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “I am excited to be working with the NPP program and the benefits it provides to our students. I want to continue to grow the capacity of the pantry to meet the needs of students.”
The Arkansas Hunger Alliance is a nonprofit organization that advocates for closing the hunger gap in Arkansas by working with food banks and pantries across the state, to provide funding, food sourcing, proper education and food insecurity awareness.
The Bears Essential Food Pantry serves current UCA students and employees and is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Bear Essentials Food Pantry.