Harper has called all Amherst athletic teams together in an attempt to minimize the waste produced by over-ordering food for away athletic events. "We suggest[ed] placing bins outside the main entrance to Alumni Gym, one for collecting unused beverages and another for nonperishable food items," she said. Excess food that was issued to teams for away games is often simply thrown away. The women's golf team has provided the funds needed to purchase and label these collecting bins. Harper also hopes that teams will record how much food they actually consume so that teams can order amounts of food which more closely match their actual consumption.
Harper is very excited about getting this project started and already has plans for expansion. "We hope to eventually gather the leftovers from academic trips as well and possibly place more bins around campus," she said. Harper added that this project provides a very practical way for students to get involved in helping the off-campus Amherst community.
The women's golf Head Coach Michelle Morgan is very supportive of her team's effort. Morgan is eager to get others involved and to make our community more aware of the issue of hunger. "One would believe that in a community like Amherst there are no hungry people," said Morgan, "but that is an incorrect assumption."
Amherst Athletic Director Suzanne Coffey has shown her support for this project as well. Having only been at Amherst since the beginning of August, Coffey has already begun to make her mark. She is passionate about this initiative and hopes that it will spark a greater awareness of waste production in the Amherst community as a whole. "Sarah and the women's golf team deserve a great deal of credit for their leadership and ingenuity. This project will not only benefit our neighbors but will also raise additional awareness regarding responsible use of resources," said Coffey, who hopes that this project will inspire further efforts by athletic teams to help the greater Amherst community.
Both Coffey and Harper have expressed hope that this project will unite athletes of all sports, as well as non-athletes under the common goal of helping the greater Amherst community.
The idea is that after every sporting event, a delegated member of that team would be responsible for depositing the leftover food into the bins. Every morning following an away game a volunteer would bring the collected items to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter within the Amherst community. Volunteers may or may not be members of an athletic team.
This project has already begun. The first drop off was on Monday when Harper delivered granola bars and drinks to the Amherst Survival Center in North Amherst. As this project gets off the ground, deliveries will be made on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
"Most of it will be snack food for kids, such as granola bars, pretzels and Smart Food," said Harper. "It fills a niche in [the ASC's] pantry that either they don't budget for or receive donations for."
The project is currently looking for students who are willing to bring the food from the bins to local soup kitchens and shelters on a weekly or monthly schedule. Access to a car is not necessary. Both athletes and non-athletes are called to support this effort. Those interested in getting involved may contact Sarah Harper at sbharper@amherst.edu.