Volunteer effort raises $1,225.39 to fight hunger

KINGSTON, R.I. -- April 7, 1999 -- Proving that a few extra cents can make a big difference, students at the University of Rhode Island have raised $1,225.39 to help fight hunger by collecting pennies from students in on-campus residence halls. The money was donated to the Warm Shelter, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Westerly during a special check presentation on Thursday, April 1, in the Memorial Union lounge.

The effort was organized by Phirun Vang of Cranston, a URI junior who works at the Clearinghouse for Volunteers in URI,s Feinstein Center for Service Learning. Volunteers distributed empty water bottles, contributed by Crystal Spring of Middletown, to all 17 residence halls in late February. Residence hall directors and assistants then organized their halls in a competition for who could collect the most pennies.

The bottles were collected in early March and taken to The Washington Trust Bank, where employees volunteered to count the change. The grand total: $1,225.39. The smallest residence hall on campus, the freshman-only Hutchinson Hall, collected the largest amount of money -- $355.72. The runner-up was Barlow Hall, at $225.61. The competition winners will be rewarded with free video rental vouchers donated by Video Junction in Peacedale and an ice cream party.

Created in 1995 from an endowment given by the philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein, the Feinstein Center for Service serves as URI,s primary source of all volunteer opportunities for individual students, residence halls, student organizations, and University departments. It also coordinates URI,s involvement in statewide initiatives, such as RI Reads.

For More Information: Ann MacDonald, 874-2116