Aztecs Rock Hunger raises $109,676 to fight food and nutrition insecurity – The Daily Aztec

Exceeding final 12 months’s marketing campaign of $89,090, pupil leaders and college gathered to announce this 12 months’s record-breaking complete and to carry an award ceremony for its volunteers

With anticipation constructing over Thanksgiving break, pupil leaders and college from Aztecs Rock Hunger hosted a reveal social gathering on Nov. 28 on the Conrad Prebys Student Union to have fun this 12 months’s marketing campaign complete of $109,676 setting an all-time report for the college. 

In addition, the celebration included an award ceremony recognizing pupil involvement of their battle in opposition to meals and diet insecurity inside the Aztec group. 

Aztecs Rock Hunger Chair Sophia Koch was dropped at tears over the announcement with it being her final 12 months concerned in this system. From dedicating herself to the “Stuff the Backpack” applications in highschool to her time concerned with Associated Students, Koch stated it has been a full circle second for her and continues to remind college students that the battle isn’t over. 

“Our purpose this 12 months was $100,000, it was solely reached as soon as earlier than however we set this purpose as a result of we knew the necessity for the San Diego group was current as ever,” Koch stated. “The San Diego Hunger Coalition experiences that one in 4 San Diegans expertise diet insecurity. This is a indisputable fact that I’m positive you’ve heard many instances all through this marketing campaign. However, it doesn’t go away as soon as these three weeks are over. It’s a 12 months lengthy difficulty affecting individuals on a regular basis and that is the explanation why we rock starvation.” 

Aztecs Rock Hunger is an annual marketing campaign led by the Associated Students at San Diego State University that collects donations and non-perishable meals gadgets to help members of the group and SDSU college students affected by meals insecurity all through the educational faculty 12 months. 

The marketing campaign originated in 2010 when the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank held a contest between San Diego schools generally known as Colleges Rock Hunger. This rivalry influenced the formation of Aztecs Rock Hunger, one of many California State University system’s most generally distributed school meals drives, in line with Associated Students Aztecs Rock Hunger website.

A spotlight from this 12 months’s marketing campaign contains the Aztec Rock Hunger carnival the place college students bought concerned at cubicles stuffed with conventional carnival video games, tarot card readings and a dunk tank the place college students may dunk their favourite pupil leaders round campus for a $5 donation.

Koch stated the aim behind this carnival was to “unfold pleasure” as they labored in the direction of their purpose of $100,000 for not solely the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank but additionally the Associated Students Food Pantry and Economic Crisis and Response Team on campus. 

Since some SDSU college students are both ineligible or unaware of applications like CALFresh, they closely depend on these on-campus applications and local people meals banks for assist, in line with Associated Students’ Aztecs Rock Hunger website.  

Chelsea Payne, Director of the SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team, stated on the Aztecs Rock Hunger Carnival on Nov. 2 that the marketing campaign donates 20% of financial donations to the SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team, and the non-perishable meals donations go in the direction of the AS Pantries, which help SDSU college students.

Not solely did Payne emphasize the significance of the Aztecs Rock Hunger marketing campaign but additionally issues surrounding meals insecurity rising on campus and the way the Economic Crisis Response Team has chosen  to reply to these points. 

“Because of the financial system, 1000’s of scholars have hassle assembly their primary wants, and we assist college students who attain out and discuss with them to grasp their circumstances,” Payne stated. “One of the sources ECRT makes use of to assist them is grocery reward playing cards from the Aztecs Rock Hunger fund, so this marketing campaign is necessary.”

Payne additionally spoke about how the Economic Crisis Response Team can present entry to campus sources if college students are meals or dietary insecure. By both visiting the Basic Needs Center on the third ground of the Calpulli Center or their Instagram web page @ecrtsdsu, college students can collect data concerning meals, housing, well being care or monetary schooling. 

“We’re right here to assist any SDSU pupil, and we would like them to really feel comfy asking for this assist as a result of it’s right here to assist them,” Payne stated. “They have the precise to it as a pupil, so please attain out to the Economic Crisis Response Team in the event that they want something.”

Although the three week marketing campaign is over, Aztecs Rock Hunger continues to induce college students to take initiative in opposition to this disaster and attain out to these of their group that want their assist. 

As the SDSU group continues to indicate ardour and drive in the direction of this marketing campaign, Koch hopes that everybody takes every year as a studying expertise to higher serve the group sooner or later. 

“I simply need everybody to continue learning from this marketing campaign,” Koch stated. “It’s all about breaking down these obstacles of constructing positive that we are able to make one of the best affect that we are able to. So regardless that not everybody’s in a position to donate cash or canned items, even simply phrase of mouth is an important factor yearly.”