Fresno State’s March Match Up campaign benefitting the Student Cupboard will be a full-court press against food insecurity throughout the month of March. The goal is to raise $100,000 from community gifts for the Student Cupboard to help stamp out hunger on campus this year.

The Student Cupboard provides Fresno State students who are challenged by food insecurity with free fresh and nonperishable food items and hygiene products. It is one of the initiatives under the Food Security Project to increase student access to nutritious food. The Student Cupboard relies on the annual March Match Up campaign, which runs from March 1 through 31, to generate the funds necessary to provide this on-campus resource.

Moss Adams LLP, Granville Homes and an anonymous donor will team up to match, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000 in gifts to the Student Cupboard during the campaign. Founding partner Moss Adams has supported March Match Up every year since it began in 2016.

“This is a project that is dear to President Castro and I,” said Mary Castro, Fresno State’s first lady who is spearheading the campaign. “We believe in the hardworking, talented students at Fresno State. We also understand from personal experience that it is empowering when others invest in you by making it possible for you to focus on reaching your goals. The Student Cupboard increases retention and academic performance for many students.”

More than 43 percent of Fresno State students surveyed said they had experienced some level of food insecurity in the past year, according to a 2017 California State University study. During the 2017-18 academic year, 5,217 students visited the Student Cupboard, totaling 47,829 visits.

Even before the campaign tips off on Friday, March 1, the fun will begin Wednesday, Feb. 27, with a special halftime challenge during the Fresno State men’s basketball game against Wyoming. The game begins at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.

“Addressing basic needs ensures that all students have an equal chance at being successful and ready to graduate to become our next generation of leaders,” said Dr. Frank Lamas, Fresno State’s vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

The public is encouraged to help by donating any amount at FresnoState.edu/MarchMatchUp and then challenging others to help stamp out student hunger.

Other community partners will support March Match Up in the following ways:

  • Macy’s has selected the Fresno State Student Cupboard to be the March beneficiary of its “Bag Hunger” campaign. Customers are encouraged to “round up” their purchases between March 15 and March 31, donating their change to benefit the Student Cupboard at the Fashion Fair and River Park locations in Fresno.
  • Pieology will donate 20 percent of its sales on Mondays during the month of March from its seven locations. Customers must present a flyer (available in the Student Cupboard or the Student Health and Counseling Center) or digital proof on a phone at the time of purchase. Offer excludes online orders and alcohol sales.
  • Dutch Bros. will donate a portion of its March 13 sales from its six Central Valley stores to the March Match Up campaign, with a goal of raising $10,000.
  • Buffalo Wild Wings, 3065 E. Shaw Ave., will donate 10 percent of sales from March 23 to March Match Up, when customers present a flyer or digital proof on a phone at the time of purchase. (Offer excludes tax, gratuity or promotional discounts. Promotion runs from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
  • The Gibson Farm Market and Kennel Bookstore on campus are encouraging customers to “round up” their purchases during the month of March, donating change to March Match Up.

Final results for March Match Up will be announced at a special event in early April. In 2018, March Match Up raised $150,044.

For more information about the campaign, contact David Hembree at 559.278.5052 or dhembree@csufresno.edu.

For the Student Cupboard, which is located in the Grosse Industrial Technology building, Room 144 (Barstow Avenue and Jackson Drive), contact Alicia Nelson at 559.278.6717.

Hashtag: #FSMarchMatchUp