You may have noticed a grand overflow of food (and love) at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Knights Helping Knights Pantry this year. Thanks to Wellness & Health Promotion Servicesβ Christine Pugh and her partnership with Luckyβs Market Orlando, thousands of healthy food items have been donated to the pantry since February 2017.
Pugh is a graduate of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Leadership Empowerment Program where she created her own project to both help the university and encourage community building.
She works closely with WHPSβ FreshU nutrition initiative that gives students access to healthy food options on campus and provide sustainability for those items. She thought of a golden opportunity to meet both needs for her project and benefit WHPS when she heard about Luckyβs Market, which opened in June 2016 and is only about 10 minutes away from main campus.
Pugh and the WHPS staff took a field trip last December to see what theyβre all about, and a month and a half later, the partnership began.
Every Tuesday and Thursday since February, Pugh has personally loaded her storm blue Nissan Altima with hundreds of food items to deliver to the Pantry. As of Nov. 14, Luckyβs has donated 3,319 food items β 1,709 this semester alone.
βStudents now have access to fruits, vegetables, baked goods, full meals, chips, peanuts, candied apples, juice, popcorn, cereals and more,β Pugh said. Students can take up to five free food items per day at the Pantry with a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ ID.
In addition, WHPS and Luckyβs donate food items to the Creative School for Children.
Pugh also teaches a couponing class. βI always love going to her couponing classes.β ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ student Jazmine Manriquez said. βShe makes the class engaging and fun. Apart from that you can tell she is really passionate for couponing, teaching others and helping them excel, too. She is sweet, funny and dedicated.β
Pugh has a passion for health education and with this new partnership and her go-getter attitude, she has made a positive impact on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ community.