FFC Organizes Meal Drive at Lenoir

With the holidays fast approaching, many students don't want to see their peers waste that food.

Although various student groups have tried to donate the extra meals to the hungry in the past, this year's Freshman Focus Council, a subgroup of the executive branch of student government, is sponsoring the first organized effort to donate meals to those in need.

"All freshmen bought lofty meal plans, and we want to use the extra for a good cause," said FFC Co-coordinator Derwin Dubose.

On Dec. 3, students with block meal plans who want to volunteer can get a meal from Outta Here, the takeout dining facility in Mainstreet Lenoir, and drop it off at a location at the back of Lenoir Dining Hall as part of the Freshman Day of Service.

The project will begin at 11 a.m. and will continue until a set goal of 150 meals is met.

After the drive, members plan to deliver the boxed meals to the Inter-Faith Council soup kitchen.

Council members said they think there will be plenty of students who are interested in participating.

FFC member Janaka Lagoo said that the IFC is in desperate need of meals and that students will benefit because they will know that their meals are going to help people in need.

"People will be really excited that their meals won't go to waste," she said.

Council members originally had planned to donate their meals by bringing people off the streets into the dining hall, as they have in past years.

But having non-University related people in campus dining halls creates safety and security issues, said Ira Simon, University food service director for auxiliary services.

The council also discussed an appreciation meal for housekeepers that would have used leftover meals.

But council members and Carolina Dining Services officials said the appreciation meal cannot be organized until next semester. Council members wanted to use students' meals for a good cause as soon as possible.

This prompted the council to arrange the food drive for the IFC.

"We needed some kind of plan that was creative and safe," Dubose said.

While organizing their efforts, FFC members ran into problems obtaining approval from CDS.

CDS officials were reluctant to approve the plan at first because of budget concerns, FFC representatives said.

When setting the price for student meal plans, CDS officials anticipate that many students will not use all of the meals they purchase.

If students were to use 100 percent of the meals they purchase, the prices of the plans would increase.

CDS officials said the FFC's plan will be the most feasible option for everyone involved in the project.

"I feel like it works within the system," Simon said.

If the plan is successful, the FFC will work to expand the food drive in the future.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk.unc.edu.