Thank you for visiting our Hike for Hunger fundraising page! Our organization is hiking to raise money for the Amherst Survival Center to bring our neighbors one step closer to having consistent access to nutritious food.
Mu Epsilon Delta is a pre-health co-ed fraternity at UMass Amherst, filled with motivated pre-health students, each seeking to interpersonally engage with the larger community around us. Our members work closely with the Amherst Survival Center each week, seeking to cultivate rewarding relationships with both one another and the individuals we connect with through the ASC.
As VP of Outreach for Mu Epsilon Delta, I have been a regular volunteer at the ASC since February of 2023 and have absolutely loved the relationships I have built with the hard-working individuals that perform phenomenal work to provide for the community.
Hike for Hunger
Hike for Hunger is a monthlong opportunity to hit the trails while raising funds to ensure our neighbors have access to healthy food. Proceeds from Hike for Hunger go directly to the Amherst Survival Center's food and nutrition programs, which last year provided over 1.3 million meals (prepared and groceries) to roughly 8,500 people by way of:
- Free hot lunches in our sunny dining room served 4x weekly
- Free groceries from our Food Pantry, providing up to 14 days of food per person per month
- Free grocery delivery to over 1,000 people in Western Mass every month
- Additional free produce and baked items offered 4x weekly from outdoor Fresh Food Distribution.
In recent months, the Center has seen record numbers of people accessing services. At the same time, the end of COVID grants and supply chain issues have reduced the food that the Center is able to get from the Food Bank, which means our food programs are buying more than ever to keep shelves stocked. Your support of Hike for Hunger makes it possible for the Amherst Survival Center to respond to the growing need and get more food to more people.
Founded in 1976, the Amherst Survival Center addresses social determinants of health in Western Massachusetts through a community center that helps area residents meet their basic needs with:
- Free hot lunches in the sunny dining room, served 4x weekly
- Free groceries from the Food Pantry, providing up to 14 days of food per person per month
- Free grocery delivery to over 1,000 people in Western Mass every month
- Free health clinic visits with great local doctors
- Free onsite mail boxes, lockers, and showers for people experiencing homelessness
- AND Free community events and workshops like musical performances and fitness classes
Since 2019, the Amherst Survival Center's kitchen has quadrupled its daily meal service, and the Food Pantry has tripled the amount of monthly food provided per individual. In the last year, the Center provided nearly 1.3 million meals—prepared and groceries—to close to 8,500 people.
For more information, visit www.amherstsurvival.org