Through a labor of love that began over seven years ago, Hawk’s Harvest, the University of North Carolina Wilmington food pantry, has grown into a thriving and sustainable campus organization striving to ensure no Seahawk goes hungry.
Due to campus and community support, including a recent $8,000 donation from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the pantry has served nearly 1,000 students and distributed over 24,000 pounds of food during the 2022-23 academic year. The recent donation is among many fundraising efforts sought by and awarded to Hawk’s Harvest due to the efforts of Jamie Russell ’16 Ed.D., UNCW Director of Student Community Engagement, and members of the UNCW Department of Campus Life and Division of Student Affairs.
“Hawk’s Harvest provides access to food so students can focus on their studies rather than worrying about how they will pay for groceries,” said Russell. “Our goal is to make sure that no Seahawk goes hungry, and we cannot achieve this mission without the support of generous donors and our partnership with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (the Food Bank).”
Serving as a partner agency of the Food Bank’s Youth/School Pantry Program, Hawk’s Harvest receives funding through the program to order and purchase pantry staples – such as macaroni and cheese, canned tuna and chicken, peanut butter, jelly and soup – and can also take advantage of donations the Food Bank receives including snacks, meat, beverages and produce. The pantry also collaborates with Harris Teeter, Food Lion and Aramark for overstock items and grocery bags.
In collaboration with Catholic Campus Ministries (CCM), the food pantry started as an off-campus grass roots effort in 2017. By spring 2022, under the direction of Russell and UNCW Campus Life, the pantry relocated to the first floor of the Fisher University Union and has continued to grow – now expanded to include a second location, in collaboration with the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), in Veteran’s Hall.
“It’s a labor of love and takes a large village to keep it going,” said Russell, who in addition to building and maintaining relationships with campus and community partners also leads a graduate student staff and volunteers to operate and restock both pantry locations. “Our graduate students manage the pantries because we want students to feel comfortable and see a friendly and familiar face every week without feeling judged.”
According to Russell, any currently enrolled UNCW student can use the pantry. “We don’t ask questions about financial status,” she said. “We just ask for their One Card, how many they’re shopping for and then weigh their food so we can report our distributions to the Food Bank every month.”
In addition to the donation from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the pantry has received notable contributions from Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit that collaborates with college communities to address student food insecurity – including an LG refrigerator and $700 in 2022 and a $3,000 grant in 2023. The pantry also received $2,500 from a 2023 Seahawks Give, the UNCW day of giving, challenge gift.
“We also rely on generous donors to sponsor food drives and provide financial contributions,” said Russell. “This helps us supplement what we get from the Food Bank with other items – such as cereal, pop tarts, pasta and sauce, condiments and other high demand items.”
If you’re interested in getting involved with Hawk’s Harvest, donations can be made online or contact hawksharvest@uncw.edu to learn more about hosting a food drive or donating food and/or hygiene items. Additionally, visit the Hawk’s Harvest webpage to learn more about upcoming food drives, campus and community resources and more.