Last summer we, UCPEA, coordinated a produce swap among members. We had cucumbers, tomatoes and tomato plants, Swiss chard, lettuce, squash, herbs, peppers, and more! The produce swap operated weekly and was mostly held on the Student Union lawn. This year, we're making some changes to evolve the swap. First change, the produce swap will be held biweekly rather than weekly and secondly, it will rotate between the Student Union and the Young Building (down by the Dairy Bar). Most importantly, we are teaming up with UConn's Solidarity Fund to donate any un-swapped produce to a community fridge and food pantry initiative that will be housed in the Rowe building in the center of campus.
The UConn Solidarity Fund is a mutual aid project run by and for UConn students on campus. One of their main goals is to alleviate food insecurity among UConn students. A December 2025 Food Insecurity and Student Support Resources at UConn Report put out by the Office of Budget, Planning and Institutional Research stated that 37% of UConn Students report experiencing food insecurity.
With UCPEA's help, the community fridge can fill gaps in campus resources for students on campus over the summer. Please consider attending the produce swap this summer or donating produce or other food items to the Rowe Community Fridge and Pantry. If you can't attend the produce swap, donations will be accepted at the UCPEA Office at 18 Dog Lane, Storrs, CT. For questions, please reach out to Amber LaFontaine - politicalaffairs@ucpea.org.
