UF Students Helping Those in Need with CHOPIN Hall’s Mobile Food Pantry

The University of Findlay campus community stepped up to the plate on Saturday, Jan. 23 to help CHOPIN Hall serve food to those in need.

22 student volunteers, along with UF faculty and staff members, assisted in serving food for the organization’s second Mobile Food Pantry of the year.

UF’s Office of Student Affairs donated funds for 10,000 pounds of groceries for the event. Around 500 people were served from more than 200 families that came through the line. “We are honored to partner with our local community to address food insecurity,” said Crystal Weitz, director of service and community engagement. “Even though the method has changed due to the pandemic, our commitment has remained strong. We intentionally include service as a part of UF’s celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a way to encourage our students to live out his legacy of kindness and concern for others.”

“For 36 years, CHOPIN Hall has been on the front lines of getting food into the hands of people in-need in our community,” the Organization’s website states. “Our faith-based volunteer-driven organization is able to leverage every dollar donated into many pounds of food.”

In 2019 alone, families visited CHOPIN Hall roughly 12,000 times, and 295,000 meals – over 800 meals per day – were provided to those in need.

“It is a great experience every time I participate in MFP service project and I learn something new about our community, the University, or a fellow student,” said Manasa Akkineni, a fifth-year Pharmacy student who participated in the event. “I love that we are still able to give away the food for those in need even in the times of COVID and I am very grateful to be a part of this service project that our University sponsors.

To learn more about service opportunities and ways to help the community, visit UF’s Service and Community Engagement webpage, or contact the office directly at 419-434-6671 or volunteer@findlay.edu.