The UA Little Rock’s Trojan Food Pantry will be better stocked this fall thanks to a $1,000 cash donation from the Rotary Club of Little Rock Midtowne chapter.

Members of the Rotary Club of Little Rock Midtowne presented an oversized check on July 8 to Aresh Assadi, a counselor in UA Little Rock’s Counseling Services and other university employees. The gift was one of the last donations made by the club as it merges with the West Little Rock Rotary Club, of which Assadi is a member.  

The donation was “a nice way to end an era and begin a new chapter,” the chapter announced on its Facebook page.

“I know what it is like to try to feed yourself on a tight budget while in college, and that is why I have been helping the pantry any way I can since 2015-2016,” Assadi said. “The UA Little Rock Food Pantry is actually one of our service projects. Rotary has given three checks and three carts to the pantry. My fellow Rotarians also provide weekly donations as well.” 

The Food Pantry also receives generous donations from Walmart, Kroger, Natural Grocers, Fresh Market, Target, PCSI, American Gold and Silver Exchange, Arkansas Family Dental, Altitude Trampoline Park, and many other organizations and individuals.

The Trojan Food Pantry provides food to 200-250 UA Little Rock students, staff, and faculty each month who experience food insecurity. The pantry operates your-round, and in the summer, it offers fresh vegetables and produce grown in the Campus Garden.

“We thank the Midtown Rotary Club for their generous donation to the Trojan Food Pantry,” said Amber Wolf, coordinator of the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, Trojan Marketplace Food Pantry and Career Closet. “With their donation, we will be able to keep our pantry stocked and continue the fight to end hunger on our campus.”

The Trojan Pantry is located on the second floor of the Administration North building. Summer hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.