By Tony Phifer
Uriel Diaz remembers what it was like as a young boy growing up in the Denver area while his family dealt with food insecurity.
But rather than lament his situation, he chose another direction: He has volunteered at Christ in the City, a Catholic non-profit providing food, clothing and shelter to the homeless, for the past 5 years.
So, it probably won’t come as a surprise that Diaz, a sophomore psychology major at Colorado State University, now works in the Rams Against Hunger program, helping his fellow students who are dealing with food insecurity.
“Coming into CSU all I heard was ‘Rams take of Rams,’ so being able to enact that has been a major part of my day, every day, that I work,” he said. “Rams Against Hunger has become so important to me. Going to the food bank as a little kid, seeing my family not be ok and suffering from food insecurity, and being able to give back and being able to help the CSU community has really meant a lot to me.”
Rams Against Hunger has provided meals to students facing food insecurity for the past several years. When first established, the program provided once-daily meal card swipes to students who qualified.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last spring, however, Rams Against Hunger has adapted, providing food boxes to all students in need. The program is run out of CSU’s Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE), and provides nutritious food Wednesday through Friday at the Lory Student Center Theater to hundreds of students.
Despite a partnership with the Food Bank for Larimer County, the program needs support to meet the needs of the many students experiencing food insecurity. And Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity for faculty, staff, alumni, students and friend of CSU to lend a hand.
Giving Tuesday 2020 is set for Dec. 1. Rams Against Hunger is the featured fund, but donors can choose to support Ram Aid or CSU’s Housing and Dining Services.
The great news is that, thanks the generosity of an anonymous longtime donor, your gift can be doubly impactful. Each dollar up to $25,000 will be matched, while a second $25,000 donation will be unlocked when CSU reaches 1,000 Giving Tuesday donations.
