A group of student researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has organized a food and personal care item drive to support the Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire. The effort began when Rachel Horejsi, a senior microbiology major, received an email from a STEM organization encouraging scientists to help local food banks during a period when SNAP benefits were temporarily unavailable.
Wheeler, assistant professor of biology, said, “One of our lab students, Rachel Horejsi, received an email from a STEM organization that was calling on scientists to support their local food banks during the lapse in SNAP benefits. Although benefits were restored during their planning phase, recognizing the ongoing needs, the planning forged ahead. None of our lab team members felt they were too busy to contribute to this effort. In addition to their organizing work, the students donated money the team has received in research awards.”
Donation bins have been placed in several locations on campus: the Student Senate office on the second floor of Davies Center, McIntyre Library near the river-facing doors, and in Phillips Hall’s first-floor hallway. Items collected will go directly to Feed My People Food Bank.
Horejsi noted that Feed My People played an important role by assisting with logistics and setting up a fundraising page that helped them reach their $500 goal. She explained that decisions about distribution would be left up to Feed My People because they serve multiple area pantries.
“UW-Eau Claire is within the greater community, and we see ourselves as part of a greater cooperative effort to fight food insecurity everywhere in our region,” Horejsi said. “Therefore, we plan to let Feed My People determine designation based on community needs.”
Declan Algrem, a junior biology major involved in the project, emphasized how prevalent food insecurity is among students: “Something we have learned through this process and want to make more widely known is that food insecurity is a bigger problem than most students understand.” He added: “The notion that some of my fellow students could be dealing with food insecurity has motivated me to contribute. Nobody should have to go without sufficient food.”
Wheeler highlighted how new members recruited for laboratory research joined efforts for this service project before beginning any experiments. “One fun result is that while we were planning, we were also recruiting three new students to start doing research with us,” Wheeler said. “Although these new students haven’t begun lab experiments yet, they’ve already made meaningful contributions to the food drive. Seeing our senior students mentor newer members is a great example of inclusion.” He also mentioned considering making such projects part of future onboarding routines.
Horejsi connected her scientific background with her approach toward addressing hunger: “Like so much of science, hunger is a multifactorial problem,” she said. “When there are multiple factors involved, it creates complex interactions that can be hard to tease apart. Hunger is a systematic problem, but systems take time to change or evolve. You can’t fix it overnight, but a food drive effort like this one allows us to make progress in the meantime,” she added.
For other busy students considering involvement in similar initiatives Horejsi advised: “Ask yourself, ‘If not me, who?’” She continued: “It’s about trying to make a tangible impact in your community. Find a way to focus on that.”
More information about starting similar drives can be found at Feed My People Food Bank’s website.
