We are nearing the end of the semester, and closing out the fall means celebrating with the season of giving and gratitude. UMBC feels the love of its community all year round, and that support is what inspires our Retrievers to give back.
UMBC Retrievers are acting on their gratitude for community members in various ways. ‘Tis the season, so let’s take a look at how our Retrievers are giving back.
Save-a-Swipe Program
Thanks to generous UMBC community donations, the Save-a-Swipe program reached a record 1,050 meal swipes this fall. This partnership between Retriever Essentials, Retriever Card Center, and Dining Services enables members to donate meal swipes to students facing food insecurity.
Assistant director of Retriever Essentials, Michael Berardi ’19, media and communication studies, shares insight on just how important the donations received are and what it means to the community, saying, “Donations are what help nourish our community. Now more than ever, Retriever Essentials is a critical resource for thousands of Retrievers facing food insecurity. Nearly everything we distribute is either directly donated or purchased with donated funds and grants. We’ve seen incredible generosity from folks all around campus, and are so grateful for the consistent support for our students, staff, and faculty in need.”
Food for Fines
Food for Fines is a clever way to turn parking citation fines into charity donations to those in need. Partnering with Retriever Essentials, UMBC Parking Services reduces one citation to a warning in return for five toiletry or non-perishable food items. Food for Fines previously collected 388 pounds of donations, and they set a goal for 500 pounds this semester to help those in need. Thanks to the outpouring of generosity from UMBC students, they collected 879 pounds of food, making this likely the single largest physical donation in program history.
Athletics fundraiser
The highly anticipated women’s basketball beltway battle is not only an exciting game between UMBC and Towson, but it also served up a canned food drive! For every can donated, each person received $1 off concessions for the game.
10 for 10
For the past 10 years, Retriever Essentials has been dedicated to nourishing our ever-growing UMBC community by fighting food insecurity and providing essential resources to students, staff, and faculty. To celebrate a decade of service, Retriever Essentials is holding a 10 for 10 campaign, which encourages individuals to donate a recurring $10 per month (or as much as you are able) in honor of 10 years.
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Learn more about how you can support Retriever Essentials and give back to our UMBC community.
Tags: Retriever Essentials