Fall Donations for Citations drive brings in nearly 3,500 pounds of food and personal care items
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 17, 2023) — University of Kentucky Transportation Services recently offered a special one-week Fall Donations for Citations drive, allowing individuals to settle one regular parking citation by donating to the university's Big Blue Pantry (BBP).
This shortened fall drive was successful, resulting in 3,480.5 pounds of food and personal care items. In all, 462 people participated, and the delivery was made to BBP on Monday, Nov. 13.
“Once again, we are so incredibly grateful for the generosity of the UK community,” said BBP Director Andrew Perkins. “Now that we’re in our new space in Frazee Hall, these donations will help keep our shelves stocked until the new year!”
Donations for Citations was previously only offered by Transportation Services in the spring for a two-week period. It will return for two weeks again in early 2024. Donations for Citations has become one of the pantry’s largest food drives since its inception in 2016.
BBP is an on-campus organization, housed in the Office for Student Success, that works to combat hunger and food insecurity for UK students.
Last spring’s two-week drive netted 4,358 pounds of staples. Since its beginning, nearly 25,000 pounds of food and personal care items have been donated through the program.
BBP has recently moved to its new location in the basement of Frazee Hall. For more details about the pantry, visit their website.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.