Aztecs Rock Hunger campaign expands to SDSU Imperial Valley to tackle food insecurity
The fundraiser, which runs through Nov. 30, directly benefits the Imperial Valley food pantry.
For the first time, Associated Students at San Diego State University Imperial Valley has partnered with SDSU’s Aztecs Rock Hunger (ARH) campaign in San Diego to directly support SDSU Imperial Valley students experiencing food insecurity.
The Imperial Valley campaign runs through Nov 30, with 80% of proceeds going to the SDSU Imperial Valley food pantry. The remaining 20% will go to SDSU’s Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), which supports students at both SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley experiencing an urgent food, housing, or financial crisis. The fundraising goal is $1,500.
“We’ve always supported ARH, but now, we have the opportunity to combat student hunger with funds and resources that are dedicated to bolstering our on-site food pantry to better meet the critical needs unique to our students,” said Henry Villegas, SDSU Imperial Valley dean of students.
First opened in fall 2022, the SDSU Imperial Valley food pantry is open to students each weekday and offers easily accessible nutritious food options.
SDSU’s Associated Students (A.S.), a student-led organization dedicated to serving and involving students in university-wide initiatives, leads the annual ARH campaign.
This past summer, Aliza Siddiqui, SDSU senior, A.S. vice president of financial affairs, and Aztecs Rock Hunger chair, collaborated with Joselyn Velez, a senior majoring in public administration and A.S. vice president of finance at SDSU Imperial Valley, to expand the fundraising initiative.
While hosting several fundraising events this month, such as a recent scarecrow competition, a Pie Day fundraiser, and an upcoming movie night with opportunity drawings, Velez said there’s more to the campaign than money.
“As important as donations are, our main goal this year is student engagement. We want to get students involved, we want them to know that food insecurity is a real thing on campus,” Velez said.
Villegas said: “What I’m really proud of is the altruism of our students. They organized and came up with a plan to do something impactful to support other students on our campus who really need help.”
Donations to Aztecs Rock Hunger can be made through Venmo @aztecsrock, indicating ARH Imperial Valley in the notes, or through the SDSU Online Giving Portal. To designate your gift for SDSU Imperial Valley, select “Aztecs Rock Hunger - Imperial Valley” in the designation section.
