For both employees, the recent government shutdown and reduction of benefits provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was a unique opportunity to call attention to the need. According to Dare to Care, one in eight Americans rely on SNAP benefits, including co-workers, friends and neighbors. In Jefferson County alone, SNAP has supported more than 96,000 people and 45,000+ households per month.

One food drive in November that was organized by Lawson delivered four truckloads of donations to the La Casita Center and the Chestnut Street YMCA. 

In addition, just in the month of November, various holiday initiatives were organized by athletics, the Cardinal Commuter Community, Bluegrass Student Collective, Graduate School, School of Music, School of Dentistry, College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development, Department of Theatre Arts, Early Learning Center, Visitor Information Centers, parking and many more.

plays a pivotal role in all these efforts bringing departments together and setting the tone for collaboration. From hosting initial planning meetings to creating outreach materials and coordinating logistics, the team’s leadership amplifies the impact and demonstrates UofL’s commitment to supporting both internal and external community members.

“Our goal was to unite the Cardinal family in a way that showed the power of working together,” said Vice President for Community Engagement Douglas Craddock. “This drive was about more than donations—it was about building connections and supporting our neighbors during a challenging time.”

Lawson said she sees how UofL lives the community of care principle. “In the current environment, people in the world are just going their separate ways, but the Cardinal community has never worked like that. We know it takes a village, we need to stay a village and continue pulling together for one another and the broader community.” 

Amanda Schweinzger, who grew up in a low-income household in Northern Kentucky, was inspired to start a drive and online fundraising campaign because she knew of people dealing with difficulty from the shutdown. “I could not just sit idly by,” she said. “I know what it’s like to struggle, what it’s like to get help from food pantries.”

Schweinzger, who started with her own department, grew the outreach from there. She decided to partner with Dare to Care, who supplies the , extending to the broader community and giving back to an organization that gives to UofL students year-round.

While physical donations are always appreciated, Dare to Care encourages monetary donations because they can fill in the gaps in what is needed most and can supply perishables such as fresh meat and produce. Every dollar donated to Dare to Care means two meals for needy families.

For her campaign, Schweinzger set up a and has already raised more than $500. Her goal is to bring in $1,000 by end of January 2026.

Schweinzger said in her experience as a student and now as an employee at UofL, she sees empathy and generosity as a common core value of the campus community. “They care about people, and the community around them, and they’re always willing to rise to the occasion.”

The partnership will ensure that the pantry, , will have a wider array of healthful items to choose from.

Dare to Care will help stock the pantry with frozen proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables, along with some non-perishable items.

The partnership will round out the Cardinal Cupboard’s offerings of donated non-perishables and personal hygiene items, along with foods from the, which collects leftovers on campus such as bagels from Einstein Bagels and pastries from Starbucks.

“The real beauty of the partnership is access to the protein and veggies,” said Kathy Meyer, coordinator for Student Leadership and Service.

Meyer said Dare to Care also has provided food safety training to the volunteers. 

“We’re learning so much through them; it’s a wonderful partnership,” she said. “It’s made such a difference in what we’re able to do here.”

The partnership was forged when UofL President Neeli Bendapudi connected with Dare to Care leadership at a community function.

Dare to Care partners with nearly 300 local social service agencies, such as food pantries, shelters and emergency kitchens to distribute food in the region.

“Our community founded Dare to Care 50 years ago and our community’s continuing passion to ensure everyone has the food they need to be healthy still fuels our ongoing innovations and new partnerships. In this spirit, we are thrilled and honored to partner with the University of Louisville on this new endeavor that will improve the health and the future of so many who are struggling to have a bright future,” said Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care executive director.

The food pantry recently moved to SAC W314, a roomier and more centralized location. It now boasts a refrigerator that was donated by the Department of Theatre Arts. 

The pantry is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. About 50 student volunteers staff the space, which is open to anyone on campus to take whatever they need.

Also beginning this semester, Aramark is donating 200 meal swipes (vouchers) to students in need. Students may apply for them through the . A committee will allocate the vouchers based on financial need.

Food insecurity has emerged a pressing issue in college campuses across the nation.

Last year, the federal government published a  on college students and food insecurity, recommending colleges and state agencies do a better job providing information that would help eligible students obtain assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

UofL brought the topic to the forefront last year in awarding its Grawemeyer Award in łÉČËÖ±˛Ą to Temple University’s Sara Goldrick-Rab. Her eye-opening research into the modern struggle to pay for college, published in her 2016 book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” details students’ struggles with not only tuition and books, but also food insecurity, homelessness and lack of transportation. Her nonprofit research center, the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, studies these issues to improve the lives of what Goldrick-Rab calls “#RealCollege students.”

“I’m delighted to see University of Louisville students acting to support their classmates’ basic needs,” Goldrick-Rab said. “For far too long, insufficient food and poor housing marked college life, undermining a learning experience that should be immensely rewarding. Louisville is a welcome addition to this national movement.”

The two students volunteered at  as part of the School of Nursing’s annual spring break community service activities. The initiative connects students with service learning opportunities in the Louisville community.

Black said volunteering at the food bank, which distributes 24 million pounds of food in Louisville annually, supports the mission of creating a healthier community.

Dare to Care has several programs that serve children, including Backpack Buddy, which sends low-income students home with a backpack full of nutritious food for the weekend, when free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches are not available.

“If we can prevent children from having health problems by helping provide them with access to proper nutrition, I think that makes our job easier in the long run as health care providers,” said Black, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Other UofL nursing students spent the week volunteering at the vaccine clinic at , and serving food to those in need at the .

“These service opportunities support the School of Nursing’s mission of community engagement and meeting the evolving health care needs of society,” said Cynethia Bethel-Jaiteh, DNP, APRN, instructor at the School of Nursing.

Amante, the other nursing student who volunteered at Dare to Care, had just returned from a quick getaway in Red River Gorge and wanted to help.

“Nursing isn’t just about working in a hospital,” Amante said. “This is part of the bigger picture in making our community a better, healthier place.”

This year is no different. The UofL community has planned toy drives, sock drives and drives for pets and everything in between. If you’re looking to earn your wings this holiday season, here are some ways to get involved.

Through Dec. 14 is the Warm Up Louisville Sock Drive. Donate a pair of new socks between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the West Information Center. Those who donate will have their names entered into a drawing for a parking space located at one of the Information Centers on Belknap campus for the duration of one month. The winner, who will be announced Dec. 15, must be a current permit holder.

Donations are welcome for adults and children and will go to the St. John Center for Homeless men and the Shelter for Women & Children.

The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging is also collecting socks this season and invites UofL faculty, staff and students to join them in collaborating with the 2018 Leadership Louisville Ignite Class for its intergenerational and festive “Sock it to me” Challenge. Festive socks for infants to adults are being collected for Norton Healthcare’s cancer patients and other organizations in the Kentuckiana area.

For the challenge, festive socks with and without grips on the bottom are accepted. This challenge will also support additional organizations in the community, and socks for hospital patients must have the grips on the bottom.  Socks can be delivered to the Institute, 300 E. Market St., Suite 200, between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or to have your department or group’s contributions picked-up, contact Lisa Baunach at 852-5159 or via email.  All socks must be received by December 11 at 4:30 p.m.

Collections are being taken for an Angel Tree for Homeless Animals through Dec. 18 on both campuses. Donations will be accepted in the Houchens LL Lobby on the Belknap Campus and the School of Public Health and Information Sciences on the HSC Campus.

Contact Julie Oechsli at 852-1489 or via email, or Darla Samuelsen at 852-2797 or via email for a list of items needed.

The Brandeis School of Law is collecting donations for the Louisville Bar Association’s toy drive. Toys collected for this drive go to kids who are not chosen from Salvation Army trees; typically older kids. The LBA is picking up the donations on Dec. 13.

Finally, the College of Arts and Sciences is collecting for Dare to Care through Thursday, Dec. 14. Collection boxes are located in the A&S Dean’s Office on the second floor of Gardiner Hall. Donations will be delivered to Dare to Care on Friday, December 15 at noon. If you are able to help deliver the donations and are willing to collect food donations in your office, send an email Jackie Gutterman or call 852-2234.

The 10 most needed items are peanut butter, soup, canned fruit, beans, rice, tuna, cereal, fruit juice, pasta and canned vegetables. You can also support Dare to Care with a cash donation. They can provide 100 meals for every $25 you give. .

On Dec. 9, a winter clothing drive will be held at the KFC Yum! Center during UofL’s doubleheader men’s and women’s basketball games. Fans are encouraged to drop off coats, hats, scarves, blankets and socks. The donations will be delivered to area homeless communities. 

Two seasonal opportunities have already come to fruition to secure UofL employees’ spot on Santa’s “nice” list. The UofL Women’s Center held a Student Parent Association Angel Tree initiative through November and early December. And, the Latin American and Latino Studies Club collected winter coats, warm blankets, hats, gloves and scarves for the Kentucky Refugee Ministries.