I would like to acknowledge the IWU Dining’s effort to spread awareness of the hunger issue. However I want to share some thoughts regarding their “Spare Change for Change” set up in Dugout.
“Spare Change for Change” was a fundraiser fighting against hunger, but the campaign sent mixed messages.
I first encountered the display on November 7, and I believe it was set up earlier that day. But when I read through the provided information, I was disappointed in this so-called project to help the hungry.
The main issue I had was the idea to fundraise using spare change. Realistically, no one I know carries cash around anymore. IWU students who do are either on a meal plan or use digital payment when they eat on campus. It seems unrealistic and performative for IWU Dining to collect change.
Also, I think that it is not healthy to associate the term “spare change” when raising funds because it creates a sense of begging from those who are suffering. They are implicitly degrading those they claim to help.
Another issue I have with this project was with how they failed to include their method of dispersing the funds. By including the average cost of a meal in Illinois, I assume the purpose was to motivate donors to spare some change and provide a meal to a stranger.
But what about the cost of delivering the fund to whatever organization they planned to collaborate with? What organization are these funds going to? As a donor, I would like to know where my money will go and if it will make an impact.
Take a look at the display. You can see that there are barely any donations. Of course there’s always room for growth, but I really hope my comments are useful in case IWU Dining is desperate to help the hungry in the future.
There are better ways to fundraise for those in need, and I think IWU Dining has fallen short in their initiative.