UWEC Food Drive Generates 3,297 Pounds of Food, $1,642 for Local Food Bank

Blugold Dining collected 3,297 pounds of food and $1,642 in cash from UWEC students, faculty and staff on Nov. 30 during its Helping Hands Across America food drive at Davies Center.

The food and cash has been donated to Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire, benefiting senior citizens, single parents, the working poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and others across the Chippewa Valley. More than 14,500 people each month – 38 percent of them children – rely on food from Feed My People programs. The past 10 years, the Helping Hands Across America food drive has produced 35,740 pounds of food and $5,097 in cash for Feed My People.

Helping Hands Across America Food Drive Coming to Davies Center on Nov. 30

Blugold Dining invites UWEC students, faculty and staff to fight hunger and help those in need across the Chippewa Valley by taking part in its Helping Hands Across America food drive, on Nov. 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Davies Center main entrance, across from the Service Center.

 

All nonperishable food and cash collected will be donated to Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire, benefiting senior citizens, single parents, the working poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and others. Last year’s Helping Hands Across America food drive produced 3,087 pounds of food and $1,184 in cash for Feed My People.

 

Feed My People suggests donations of canned fruit, canned vegetables and peanut butter. Food can’t be expired and can’t be damaged in any way that affects its suitability for consumption. Food that’s not labeled won’t be accepted. Nonperishable food will be available for purchase (at cost) inside Marketplace at Davies Center on Nov. 30. Donations of bottled water are also permitted.

 

“Blugold Dining is committed to raising awareness of hunger – a problem that affects thousands of people right here in our backyard,” Blugold Dining Resident District Manager Christian Wise said. “We’re again coming together as a campus to provide much-needed support to those suffering from hunger in our community, and we hope this effort will help get more people involved in this important cause.”

Blugold Dining Meeting the Needs of UWEC Students with Allergies

Blugold Dining Executive Chef Debbie Allen has become certified as an AllerTrain master trainer, making her an expert at serving UWEC students with food allergies and intolerances, as well as students with special dietary needs.


At Riverview Cafe, the all-you-care-to-eat cafeteria at the Hilltop Center, Allen plans the daily menu for nearly 3,000 students, some of whom have dietary restrictions, such as a gluten intolerance. She regularly meets with students who have allergies – and their parents – to determine what’s suitable within their diet, then she ensures specific food is available at Riverview Cafe so students don’t have to leave campus to eat.


Allen traveled this month to Denver for the Food Allergy Symposium for Industry, a gathering of food service stakeholders who specialize in food allergies. Her colleague, Blugold Dining Resident District Manager Christian Wise, will attend School Food Focus – Change Beyond the Plate – specializing in the need for fresh, local ingredients, in December in Braselton, Georgia. An Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kevin Concannon, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. It’s all in the name of improving the quality of life of UWEC students.


“I’ve started to notice the change in eating habits among students and the growing number of people with allergies,” said Allen, who has spent 20 years with Sodexo, including the past four at UWEC. “I have an open-door policy, so students know they can come in, and we can sit down and work out the issue. We talk, listen and come up with a plan to make everyone comfortable with dining on campus.”

Soup and Bread Night Fundraiser at UWEC Produces $4,030 for Local Food Bank

 

Blugold Dining raised $4,030 during its Soup and Bread Night on Feb. 24 at Riverview Cafe East at the Hilltop Center, thanks to the generosity of UWEC students.

The money has been donated to Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire, benefiting senior citizens, single parents, the working poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and others across the Chippewa Valley. More than 14,500 people each month – 38 percent of them children – rely on food from Feed My People programs.

Students selected soups and breads as the only menu items on Feb. 24 at Riverview Cafe East in place of the regular entrees and sides inside the all-you-care-to-eat cafeteria. Sixty volunteers from student organizations served 252 gallons of soup, and the money that Blugold Dining saved in labor and food costs went to Feed My People. Soup and Bread Night has generated more than $23,000 for Feed My People since 1995.

Blugold Diner’s Club Bonus Day on March 8!

Our second Blugold Diner’s Club bonus day of the spring semester is Tuesday, March 8. For any deposit you make of $100 or more that day, you’ll receive a 10 percent bonus on funds deposited. Deposits can be made in person from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blugold Card Services office on the first floor of Davies Center, at value transfer stations around campus or online.

 

Bonus funds are awarded on a Blugold Dining gift card. On March 8, we’ll have a table set up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the Blugold Card Services office for Blugold Diner’s Club members to pick up their gift cards. If you can’t pick up your gift card on March 8, your gift card must be picked up at the Blugold Dining office on the second floor of Davies Center by Tuesday, March 15 at 5 p.m. To receive your gift card, please provide any of the following:

• A deposit receipt from Blugold Card Services

• A receipt from the value transfer station

• A printed copy of an emailed receipt for an online deposit, showing your name, the deposit amount and the date

Also, check out our weekly members-only specials for the spring semester! Make sure to mention the specials to your cashier to take advantage of your savings!

Soup and Bread Night Fundraiser Returns to Hilltop Center at UWEC on Feb. 24

Blugold Dining invites UWEC students, faculty and staff to fight hunger and help those in need across the Chippewa Valley by taking part in its Soup and Bread Night, on Feb. 24 from 4 p.m. to midnight at Riverview Cafe East at the Hilltop Center.

A student-run initiative, Soup and Bread Night has raised more than $19,000 for Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire since 1995. Students select soups and breads as the only menu items on Feb. 24 at Riverview Cafe East in place of the regular entrees and sides inside the all-you-care-to-eat cafeteria – Riverview Cafe West will close at 4 p.m. on Feb. 24. Volunteers from student organizations serve the soups and breads, and the money that Blugold Dining saves in labor and food costs will be donated to Feed My People, benefiting senior citizens, single parents, the working poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and others. Last year, 1,798 customers consumed 186 gallons of soup and 144 loaves of bread, with $2,019 raised for Feed My People.

Blugold Diner’s Club Bonus Day on Feb. 16!

Our first Blugold Diner’s Club bonus day of the spring semester is Tuesday, Feb. 16. For any deposit you make of $100 or more that day, you’ll receive a 10 percent bonus on funds deposited. Deposits can be made in person from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blugold Card Services office on the first floor of Davies Center, at value transfer stations around campus or online.

 

Bonus funds are awarded on a Blugold Dining gift card. On Feb. 16, we’ll have a table set up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the Blugold Card Services office for Blugold Diner’s Club members to pick up their gift cards. If you can’t pick up your gift card on Feb. 16, your gift card must be picked up at the Blugold Dining office on the second floor of Davies Center by Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. To receive your gift card, please provide any of the following:

• A deposit receipt from Blugold Card Services

• A receipt from the value transfer station

• A printed copy of an emailed receipt for an online deposit, showing your name, the deposit amount and the date

Also, check out our weekly members-only specials for the spring semester! Make sure to mention the specials to your cashier to take advantage of your savings!