UNC Wilmington is now accepting donations for its charity campaign, Hawks for Hunger.

For every gift or donation made during the month of November, the Hawks for Hunger sponsors will donate a meal to a local family in need. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina will distribute the meals Dec. 16.

“The goal of Hawks for Hunger is to encourage alumni and student to donate to UNCW, and help our local community,” UNCW’s Director of Annual Giving, Missy Kennedy said.

The meals will consist of pre-cooked ham, fresh local produce and a piece of bread. The donation can be made for any amount to UNCW.

Hawk’s for Hunger kicked off Nov. 1and will continue until the end of the month. The campaign’s goal is to provide 500 meals, and so far the campaign is on track to do so. Within the first week of the campaign 80 alumni and students donated their first financial gift.

“The tradition of alumni giving to UNCW has been around for decades,” Kennedy said.  “And while we’ve had a few ‘campaign challenges’ where donors have ‘matched’ alumni contributions dollar for dollar, this is the first campaign where we’ve partnered with other organizations to distribute meals to the local community.”

Many of the needy families that will receive the distributed meals have children who attend Wilmington’s Residential Adolescent Achievement Place (WRAAP)—a partner of the campaign. According to the WRAAP website, the organization’s goal is, “to bridge the educational and social gaps that exist amongst our youths, families and communities.”      

Hawks for Hunger is sponsored by the Office of Annual Giving and partnered with UNCW Campus Dining, Feast Down East, WRAAP, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

            In an interview with UNCW University Relations, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Eddie Stuart stated, “We hope this campaign resonates with those values while giving us a platform to show how gifts to UNCW help make community partnerships, service learning and other student experiences possible.”