Author: Annette Wszelaki, Department of Plant Sciences
Awards Chair- Tennessee Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta

One important aspect of the Tennessee Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta is our service activities. In 2018, GSD started a holiday food drive to help those in our community who may need a little bit of support to stay nourished during breaks from school. With a friendly competition among departments, we collected 1,858 pounds of non-perishable food for over 60 families at a local elementary, with the Department of Food Science as the winner in generosity with 318 pounds. In 2019, we continued to collect for students and their families at Beaumont Magnet Academy, where some students do not have access to enough food over the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. We collected 1,558 pounds of food, with Morgan Hall being the most generous building on the ag campus.

In 2020, because of the pandemic we were unable to collect canned food, so instead we collected on-line donations for Smokey’s Pantry to help those in our university community raising 1,200 dollars. Smokey’s Pantry is the first food pantry at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; they focus their services in the students, faculty, and staff of our university. A study in 2019 on the main campus showed that thirty percent of UTK students are food insecure. This number no doubt increased due to the pandemic. GSD is proud to fill bellies in our university and Knoxville communities by facilitating this annual food drive.