by Xypher Pino

Greensboro College and the Pride Pantry team brings home $10,000 after finishing first overall during the 2024 NC Hunger Challenge. In competition with 11 other NC colleges such as Duke University and NC Agricultural and Technical State University, GC comes up on top despite being the smallest campus throughout the whole challenge.  

The 2024 NC Hunger Challenge is a statewide competition hosted by NC Campus Engagement (NCCE) where colleges and universities host a series of events and engage in activities to raise awareness about food insecurity. Since 2018, NCCE has hosted this initiative in collaboration with Food Lion Feeds to help fight hunger in student communities. In the challenge’s short history, only Greensboro College has won the grand prize multiple times – during the 2023 NC Hunger Challenge, GC reigned victorious as well. In just under two years, the Pride Pantry has brought $20,000 in food insecurity money to campus.  

Campus Chaplain Dr. Robert Brewer is one of the main catalysts for leading these food insecurity efforts at GC. He is the founder of the Pride Pantry, GC’s free food insecurity resource for all students. When asked how much the hunger challenge has helped grow the Pride Pantry, Brewer stated, “The challenge helped a lot. It quickly established the Pride Pantry as an organization on campus and increased our ability to help students.”  

Most of GC’s success in the hunger challenge can also be attributed to its student volunteers. Junior Sloanne Petersen, one of the MVP Student Hunger Ambassadors selected for this competition, had this to say about winning the challenge: “I am so proud of the GC community for stepping up for a greater cause. It was such a wonderful experience being part of the hunger challenge with many great memories and fun times.”  

GC and the Pride Pantry hosted a total of 11 events throughout the fall semester. From food drives and parties to “Art against Hunger Day” and “Hunger Challenge Wrapped,” creativity was seen in every single event. Not only did the events educate the student body about the increasing prevalence of food insecurity in the communities, but these events were a great way for students to have fun and destress.   

When asked what his favorite part about planning and hosting the events was, Brewer said, “I really liked how we were able to get a variety of students involved and become more knowledgeable about the Pride Pantry. It was fun thinking of creative ways to educate students and how enthusiastic the campus community was about our events.”  

On top of hosting events, having a strong social media presence was crucial in getting GC the win for the 2024 NC Hunger Challenge. Each post on Instagram earned schools one point, and GC saw this as an opportunity to inform others about the hunger challenge, but also to accumulate points. The Pride Pantry team posted over 900 Instagram posts, by far more than any campus participating in the competition.  

Winning the 2024 Hunger Challenge requires a lot of hard work and consistent dedication. Everyone involved must know the task at hand and be efficient in their work. When asked how the Pride Pantry team was able to effectively tackle the hunger challenge, Petersen stated, “Because we all got along so well, there was no problem holding extensive meetings talking about our plans. We were very organized throughout the challenge as well, so that helps. It was not a hassle to plan events and do the work, it was just fun the whole time.” 

Team chemistry is also a very important aspect that tends to get ignored with these types of long-term initiatives. Throughout the whole challenge, the bond and joy that the Pride Pantry team had with one another was evident and without a doubt, it was one of the main driving forces in getting GC the first place finish. Brewer had this to say about the Pride Pantry’s chemistry during the 2024 Hunger Challenge: “I really love how we worked as team and not only had an impact on our community, but also had fun at the same time.”  

Being an MVP Student Hunger Ambassador for two years in a row, it has been an honor to be able to lead food insecurity relief efforts on campus. I am extremely proud to represent GC during the hunger challenge; I have grown a lot as a leader and as a person as a result, and I thank NCCE and the Pride Pantry for this opportunity. We could not have had so much success over the last two years without GC’s support, and this win is dedicated to you all in the community. I hope that the Pride Pantry team has inspired you all to take action and make a positive change in the world. Our back-to-back wins in the hunger challenge prove that we can make an impactful difference, even in small numbers.