On February 25th, Student United Way at UF hosted their first fundraiser as an organization.  Over 150 students came out to I Love NY Pizza to support Student United Way’s impact work in our community.  Proceeds funded two of Student United Way at UF’s Spring initiatives:

• Moses Baskets – Student United Way has mobilized in response to the rise in infant mortality in Alachua County. Newborns from families that do not have money for cribs are at risk of being smothered by parents when mom and baby share a bed.  Moses Baskets are a cheap and easy to make crib alternative that addresses this problem.  Student United Way is purchasing materials, building the baskets, and developing a video training manual to empower future organizations to meet this need!
• Weekend Backpack Program – Many children in Gainesville rely heavily on free and reduced lunches provided by their public school as their main source of nutrition during the week.  But what happens on weekends when the lunch counter is closed?  The Weekend Backpack Program provides backpacks filled with child-friendly food for children identified by their teachers as “chronically hungry” or “food insecure”.  Backpacks are sent home every Friday during the school year and enough food is sent home for the child and all of his or her siblings.

A Delicious Way to Give Back

In what was described by restaurant staff as the “most successful fundraiser they’ve ever seen”, I Love New York Pizza brought in $730 in sales and has donated 10% to Student United Way.  This is enough to provide 7 families with Moses Baskets or sponsor almost 13 weeks of food for a child in the Weekend Backpack Program!

We look forward to working with I Love NY Pizza in the future and thank everyone that came out to support Student United Way!