What does hunger mean to you?

Food security, or having consistent access to affordable, safe, and healthy food, is not a given for many people. In fact, for 1 out of 9 Americans, hunger has much bigger implications than simply taking a snack break.

Surprising for some, college students are at particularly high risk for food insecurity. Costs of tuition, room and board, even lab fees and textbook costs leave many students shouldering the cost of meal plans and access to healthy and consistently accessible food sources, even with cafeterias on campuses.

Our previous year's North Carolina Campus Compact Hunger Corps VISTA, Sarah Busby, wanted to see if this gap was prevalent in our own backyard, particularly since research finds that approximately 11% of students at four-year universities, like Wingate, suffer from food insecurity in a given year. But what makes Wingate University particularly interesting?

• Wingate University is a private institution surrounded by one of the most important agricultural counties in North Carolina
• Residential food plans are included in the cost of room and board, giving students unlimited access to the dining hall (during open hours, of course)
• About 40% of Wingate students are eligible for the Pell Grant (federal assistance for those who could not afford to attend college without it) and countless others rely on scholarships and aid
• Most of our students are either first-generation or nontraditional students
• Wingate University is situated in Eastern Union County, which also suffers from higher rates of poverty and food insecurity (as part of a food desert) than our western neighbors

Some of the ways the CCG and our Campus Compact Hunger Corps VISTAs have begun or plan to address some of these concerns include:

• The formation of a food council with Union County government
• Continuing work and development on our community garden in association with Union County Cooperative Extension
• Creating an afterschool program with the Union County Master Gardeners focusing on gardening, nutrition, and health
• Creating a campus food pantry
• Creating workshops and events for Wingate University students to help teach about food security; cooking; the garden and pantry; and other helpful initiatives

Want to get involved? Reach out to us at ccg@wingate.edu

or check out Sarah's episode on our podcast, Against the Grain, linked below!

Did you know that November 15-22nd is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week?

Stay tuned for information on amazing organizations in our local community who address hunger and homelessness. Look for who they are, what they do and how you can help them do this great work in our November newsletter!

ALIEN goal: to immerse students, staff, faculty, and community members in nature to develop and enhance leadership skills and strong, enduring connections between people, place, and prosperity.

Dr. Nick DeLangie and his trusted graduate assistant Adden Howard have been busy facilitating safe, meaningful ALIEN leadership excursions to Southern 8ths Farm -- 1300 acres in Chesterfield SC. In September they hosted two hybrid events that incorporated both boots on the ground and Zoom activities for groups of campus leaders with the CCG. On Sept 11-12 this dynamic duo hosted the CCG Executive Team (Coordinators and Director), CCG 2020-2021 Apprentices and our Hunger Corp VISTA . The two days were focused on communication, creativity, collaboration, and leadership. Activities included yurt building, blindfolded archery, debris hut building, how to's for fire building, artful reflections, yoga and meditation, nature walks, and engaging conversations on topics of fear of failure, connecting while distancing, anxiety, and what it looks like to be good leaders during this moment of history. In addition to these exciting, safe outdoor events, CCG leaders had time to focus on their professional development in the area of writing and telling their CCG story within their academic discipline and on campus.

On Sept 25th the undergraduate Cultural Leadership Interns and their mentors had a day of working together and harnessing their collective leadership power. After walking on the gorgeous property together and learning about its inhabitants over the last hundreds of years, mentors and mentees had the opportunity to bond, share their mentoring practices, and converse about their plans for inclusion, diversity, and equity work on campus and in our community. This was a jam packed adventure that ended in the group working with naturalist Ken Carman during his evening insect survey -- he comes to Southern 8ths Farm to conduct important biodiversity surveys and learns so much about the insects that pollinate our food sources and are a barometer for ecosystem health.

Curious? Excited? Want to sign up your group, team, class or agency? Use this Link to submit your Google request form and the ALIEN team will get back to you!

One of our recent podcast episodes features Darlene Kindle, founder, executive director, and overall hero of Carolina Equine Rescue & Assistance (CERA). CERA is a non-profit organization, dedicated to caring for abused, neglected, and/or abandoned equines. In particular, CERA:

• Aids owners with unwanted or undernourished horses
• Assists with triage and support in case of natural disasters
• Provides assistance grants when available/applicable
• Provides proper medical and farrier care; nutritional requirements
• Rehabilitates horses
• Finds new, loving homes for our equine friends!

Providing aid for equines since 2008, Kindle notes that she "didn't set out to have a large number of horses, but these horses needed [her]. Rescued from abuse and neglect, or lately simply unwitting victims of the economy, these horses found their way to Carolina Equine Rescue & Assistance."

Using donations and grants to funnel resources back into Union County, Darlene and her partner John work tirelessly to save pets, but also to educate owners on how to properly care for their animals. At CERA, there are many ways for you to volunteer and help:

• Sponsor a horse
• Adopt a horse
• Purchase supplies
• Donate (time and finances)

To learn more about CERA, check out their website (and make sure to have some tissues if you read the Stories from the Heart page) at http://www.cera-inc.com/home.html You can also reach out to Darlene at: darlenekindle@windstream.net or by phone at (704) 219-3559. Finally, listen to Darlene's podcast episode on our Against the Grain Podcast, linked below!

Please join the Collaborative for the Common Good for our CCG Series, workshops, Lyceums, and events on - and around - Wingate University to share what we do and how to get involved! This month, feel free to join us for:

• Tues. October 13th (5:00-6:00pm) A CCG Powerful Partnerships Lyceum featuring information on our Golden Bulldogs and older-adult service learning projects via this Zoom link
• Mon. October 19th (3:30-4:30pm) A CCG Learning Series workshop on how to connect with our amazing community partners! Join our Zoom session to learn more!
• Tues. October 27th (5:00-6:00pm) A CG Powerful Partnerships Lyceum featuring Cooperative Extension and our NC Campus Compact Hunger Corps VISTA! Join us via Zoom here.

Find all of our Against the Grain podcast episodes on iTunes and Spotify, or click the link for Apple Podcasts below!

Want to join us on an episode of Against the Grain? Sign up for a time that works for you at this link!

Unsure of how to start your own project? Want to join in on an already-running project? Reach out to us at the following link to complete our CCG Interest Form: https://forms.gle/7aqxTzqrhmEDr8Rp7

Want to learn more or join the CCG? There are various ways to get in touch with us - we would love to hear from you!

Email: ccg@wingate.edu
Website: https://www.wingate.edu/around-campus/common-good
Location: 102 West Wilson Street, Wingate, NC, USA
Phone: 7042338067
Facebook: facebook.com/CCGWingate
Twitter: @CCGWingate