If you went to any one of the dining halls on campus last night for
dinner, you were probably asked if you wanted to "swipe a meal" for
charity. For several years now, ConnPIRG has organized this event,
which takes place once every semester.
In years past, PIRG has
managed to raise an average of $10,000 each semester. For every
individual swipe that a student contributes, $2 is donated to charity.
'The
difference between the cost of a meal and the dollar amount donated
comes from dining services' need to pay for staff, electricity, etc.,"
said Amanda Ploch, a 5th-semester political science and human rights
major who has been involved with PIRG since her freshman year. "The two
dollars is the raw cost of food."
This year's proceeds will be split between My Sisters' Place and the No Freeze Shelter.
Since
1982, My Sisters' Place has provided homeless women and children in
Hartford with a safe place to live when they are suddenly forced to
leave their homes because of domestic abuse, unemployment or mental
illness. Besides emergency housing, My Sisters' Place provides women
with transitional housing and the opportunity to rent affordable
apartments.
The No Freeze Shelter in Willimantic from this event
provides basic overnight housing to persons over the age of 18, during
the cold months of November through April.
Morgan England, a 3rd-semester undeclared major, believes that this event should happen more often.
"I
definitely think that the swipe-a-meal event is a good idea because
most students don't use all of their meals anyway," she said. "This
way, the extra money goes toward a good cause."
