HPU Family Donates Hundreds of Pounds of Food for the Stamp Out Hunger Campaign

Pictured from left with food donations were Joe Barnes, vice president of resource development for the United Way of Greater High Point; Jaquisha Cooper, letter carrier; Latoya Bullock, UWGHP vice president of community impact; Tiffany White, NALC food drive coordinator; Alyvia Williams, HPU assistant director of residence life; Monay White, HPU assistant director of residence life; and Gart Evans, a UWGHP volunteer.

HIGH POINT, N.C., May 12, 2025 – High Point University students donated hundreds of pounds of food at the end of the spring semester to support the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

The HPU offices of Student Life and Residence Life recently collected the items and helped load a postal truck with 1,044 pounds of nonperishable food in partnership with the United Way of Greater High Point (UWGHP) and United Way staff members. Crystal Harvey, HPU’s director of the Office of Residence Life, noted the importance of students and the university giving back to community members who are in need.

“This partnership with United Way is important, especially with food insecurities in the community and how high grocery prices are now,” Harvey said. “We know that 80% of our students are from out of state, and they can’t take a lot of this stuff on planes or put it in storage. They don’t want to be wasteful, so they donate.”

It has become a longstanding tradition for the HPU family to collect dozens of boxes filled with food just before the end of the spring semester to support the UWGHP’s efforts to stock local food pantry shelves throughout the summer.

“High Point University students and staff play a vital role in the success of the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, a collaboration between HPU, the United Way of Greater High Point and the local postal service,” said Latoya Bullock, vice president of community impact for the UWGHP. “This partnership not only addresses immediate food insecurity but also fosters a culture of community engagement and service among students. Donations are down for local pantries, and the need is up. Pantries are seeing double the number of clients they had this time last year. The food donated will help over 10 local pantries to restock their shelves at a critical time.”

The local food pantries that will be impacted by HPU’s donations include A Shared Blessing at First United Methodist Church, Caring Services, Community Outreach of Archdale and Trinity (COAT), Food Pantry of the Triad, Helping Hands Ministry, Macedonia Family Resource Center, New Beginnings Full Gospel Ministries, Open Door Ministries, The Salvation Army of High Point, Ward Street Community Resources and West End Ministries. Nonfood items also are collected for West End Ministries.

“HPU’s participation in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is more than a charitable act; it’s a critical component in addressing the pressing issue of food insecurity in the Greater High Point community,” Bullock said. “By contributing, students and staff not only support local families in need but also embody the university’s values of service and community engagement.”

The Stamp Out Hunger Drive, launched in 1993, has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, according to the NALC. In the 32 years since it began, the food drive has collected nearly 2 billion pounds of food for people in need across the country.