Credit union aims to halt student hunger

4 years ago

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — University Credit Union has begun its third annual Ending Hunger on Campus Campaign to end food insecurity among Maine’s college students. 

The effort is ongoing and will continue through Dec. 31. UCU has pledged to match up to $25,000 in donations to the campaign, with all proceeds going directly to student-led, on-campus food assistance programs on Maine college campuses.

In Aroostook County, campus food outlets include the University of Maine at Presque Isle Emergency Food Pantry, which assists 10-12 students per week, and the Bengals Outreach Food Pantry at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, which assists 30 students per month.

Mainers are among the most food-insecure populations in the country, and college students are no exception. First launched in 2017, UCU’s Ending Hunger on Campus Campaign has raised over $33,000 for student-led, on-campus food pantry programs within the University of Maine System. These pantries self-report serving, on average, more than 200 individuals per week.

For more information about the Ending Hunger on Campus Campaign, please visit www.ucu.maine.edu/endinghungeroncampus.