As more people across western Massachusetts face food insecurity during the holiday season, the UMass Amherst community is stepping up to make a difference by hosting two campuswide food drives to help local families and students affected by withheld Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and rising need.

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The UMass Nutrition Association (UMNA), a student-led organization comprised of nutrition majors in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, is leading its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the Amherst Survival Center (ASC) and the campus food pantry that the ASC manages. UMNA members will be collecting nonperishable food and hygiene products from multiple donation locations on campus from Nov. 10 through Nov. 21. 

Working in collaboration with faculty partners, UMNA hopes to surpass 2023’s total of 282 lbs. in donated items while raising awareness about food insecurity and nutrition equity in the Amherst area. 

UMNA president and senior Lexi Nolan said the food drive has become a cornerstone of the association’s community outreach efforts, emphasizing both service and education.

“Donating to the Amherst Survival Center lets us give back to the wider community, which is one of our main pillars,” Nolan said. “The food drive feels central to our mission; it’s about food justice and equity, making sure everyone has access to nutritious food.”

Taylor Giroux, UMNA event coordinator, added that student participation remains strong year after year, thanks to partnerships with their professors who encourage student donations and the enthusiasm of the organization’s 25 active members.  

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“Volunteering and organizing the food drive puts things in perspective,” Giroux said. “It reminds us how lucky we are and how important it is to help others, especially now with the SNAP benefit cuts and rising need around the holidays.”

Donations drop-off locations will be in the lobbies of Totman Gymnasium, Arnold House and Chenoweth Lab. All nonperishable food and hygiene products are welcome, including items such as canned goods, boxed meals, peanut butter and toiletries. Collected items will be delivered by the students in two trips to the Amherst Survival Center at 138 Sunderland Rd.

Nolan and Giroux encourage students, faculty and staff to participate in any way they can. “Every contribution makes a difference,” Nolan said. 

The UMass Amherst community is also rallying to “Pack the Pantry” as part of a campuswide initiative supporting the new Campus Pantry: ASC at UMass, located at 472 North Pleasant St. The campus pantry is a collaboration between the university and the Amherst Survival Center dedicated to promoting well-being and food security within the UMass Amherst community.

Organized by the Dean of Students’ Basic Needs Initiatives, UMass Amherst Community Campaign, and Athletics, the Pack the Pantry food drive invites students, faculty, and staff to donate non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food items such as ready-to-eat meals, canned items with pull-tab lids, instant oatmeal, cereal, granola bars, snacks and single-serve options. Nine collection bins are located throughout campus, including the Whitmore Administration Building, Old Chapel and University Health Services, and off campus at UMass Downtown. 

UMass Amherst student-athletes are also taking part in friendly competition with peers from the University of Buffalo to see which school can collect the most food in support of their local communities. Donations will be accepted at six UMass home hockey games and men’s and women’s basketball games through Nov. 22 

A list of collection bins and home games where donations will be accepted is available here.