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For the second year in a row, the University of North Georgia (Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨) Food Pantry on the Gainesville Campus has provided supplies for a "Friendsgiving" meal to Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ students, faculty or staff in need. And it was possible thanks to two grants from Kroger, turkey donations by Longstreet Café, and the partnership between Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ and the (GMFB), which helps address hunger in northeast Georgia.

"The partnership allows the Food Pantry to buy food at 16 cents a pound," said Dr. Carly Redding, associate professor of sociology and human services at Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨. "Therefore, the money goes much further, allowing the food pantry to carry more products. It also leaves money for Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ to buy hygiene items and perishable food."

Throughout the year, GMFB supplies the Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ Food Pantry with its goods to help feed members of the campus community who experience food insecurity. During the summer, the food bank also teams up with Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s Summer Food Service Program to help feed children from low-income areas in northeast Georgia.

Georgia Mountain Food Bank teams up with Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s Summer Food Service Program to help feed children from low-income areas in northeast Georgia.

The partnerships, just two examples of how Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ engages and supports the community, are among the commitments spelled out in Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s new . The plan is an initiative developed by , which is a national organization composed of 1,100 college and universities throughout the country.

"We are committed to being good members of the community and being an anchor institution of these communities," said Dr. Andrew Pearl, director of academic engagement at Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨.

Pearl said Campus Compact, with its mission to promote the public purposes of higher education, approved Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s Civic Action Plan earlier in the fall 2018 semester.

Devising the Civic Action Plan was not a new task for Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ officials, but it was a lengthy and detail-oriented one. A committee of 14 Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ officials from all disciplines and different campuses spent a year
"hammering out the fine details" of the plan, Pearl said.

"We spent a lot of time talking about how different civic commitments are contextualized at Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨," he said. "And we made a series of recommendations and goals for Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ that includes everything from continuing to establish and strengthen our community-campus partnerships to creating an environment that is supportive of faculty, staff and students interested in this commitment."

He also said the Civic Action Plan gives the university a road map for its future strategic plan and serves as the application for renewal of Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s . Pearl explained Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ is applying for the 2020 cohort of the Carnegie classification. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ is one of only two public universities in Georgia to hold the prestigious classification from The Carnegie Foundation, which promotes service-learning and community partnerships and the many ways to enhance the educational experience.

"Carnegie helps us tell the story of who we are," Pearl said. "And it's in our strategic plan."

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