Ucr meal swipes4/11/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Gardner explained that the existing cap is meant to avoid straining the program such as by increasing labor costs and to potentially prevent “buyer’s remorse” for participants who end up running out of meals. Most students have been supportive of the program, yet some are displeased with the cap that limits the number of meal swipes one can donate. “I find it very humbling to see that along with school, students are able to do their part in helping out the community by growing fresh produce to give to those less fortunate than them,” he said. This became a reality when the organization was officially approved back in winter 2015 and is currently being sponsored by Dining Services and the UC Global Food Initiative. Noticing rising poverty and homelessness rates in the Riverside and San Bernardino region, Sikder wanted to continue “giving back to the community” by creating a service organization that could aid a larger audience. “All students are able to participate in picking food in the garden, but it is the students who are on a meal plan who give generously that make our organization possible,” explained Swipes for the Homeless co-President and third-year applied math major with a concentration in environmental sciences Rafid Sikder, who grew up in Los Angeles and worked in homeless shelters in the past. Swipes for the Homeless at UCR is also expecting to plant an assortment of tomatoes and lettuces through the UCR Community Garden. ![]() “Honestly, that’s the true joy of the program (which) is actually seeing where your work goes.” Courtesy of UCR Dining “It was important for us that they made a human connection … by engaging with their charitable program,” said Executive Director of Dining Services Cheryl Garner. The program also purchases seeds for the UCR Community Garden to grow crops, which are then donated to the Inland Harvest, an Inland Empire program that gives donated food to the needy.Īs part of an agreement with Dining Services, the organization must deliver the food themselves to their respective charities. The student-led program works with Dining Services to purchase food for donation to Feeding America. ![]() The first drive, occurring in March, drew over 600 donors, allowing the organization to raise $4,787.50 in three days. I hear that a lot of the time that their meal swipes go to waste despite them already being paid for,” explained Jillian Rausa, the program’s driver coordinator in charge of preparing food deliveries to the shelters. “It’s a great use for students that have meal plans. Meal swipes are accepted at the dining halls in the dorms, the Market at Glen Mor and the Culinary Chameleon food truck in the evening. Swipes for the Homeless at UCR operates by asking students with UCR meal plans to donate their meal swipes between Week 9 and 10 of each quarter.Įach participant can donate up to three meal swipes, which are then converted into their original food value to purchase food for donation. A program dedicated to relieving hunger for the homeless delivered approximately 4,322 pounds of food, equivalent to the weight of an average mid-size car, last Thursday to Feeding America, a network of food banks across the United States. ![]()
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