7th annual Faculty and Staff Club Food Pantry Auction raises over $3,000

7th annual Faculty and Staff Club Food Pantry Auction raises over $3,000

Nov 27, 2024| Applied and Natural Sciences, General News, Students

To address food insecurity among Louisiana Tech students, Dr. Catherine Fontenot, associate professor in the University's School of Biological Sciences in the College of Applied and Natural Sciences (ANS), established the Good Nutrition Mission Food Pantry in 2017.

But funding for the Pantry proved a challenge from the start.

Enter ANS Dean Dr. Gary Kennedy and Tech's Faculty and Staff Club.

For its November 2018 luncheon, Tech's Faculty and Staff Club invited Kennedy to develop a program about the history of auctions. With an extensive background in auctioneering - he trained under the legendary auctioneer Ike Hamilton - Kennedy turned the luncheon into a live auction demonstration. After that, the Club decided the proceeds from the auction would go to the Food Pantry, and the Good Nutrition Mission Food Pantry Auction became an annual event.

This year's luncheon and auction, held on campus November 5, raised $3,265 for the Pantry.

Tech President Jim Henderson had the high bid for a signed Lady Techsters Basketball, which turned out to be one of the highest selling items at $275. (College of Education and Human Sciences Dean Henrietta Pichon ran up the bid on the Lady Techsters Basketball, but when the gavel fell, Henderson had the purchase.)

For the auction, Henderson and First Lady Tonia donated four tickets to the President's Suite for the November 30th football game against Kennesaw State. At one point, he interrupted the bidding to let everyone know that his grandchildren would be in the suites as well. That bonus was enough to drive up the bidding, resulting in Dr. Donna Hood purchasing the tickets, which also brought $275. It was one of three purchases Hood, ANS associate dean and nursing professor, made at the event.

The auction would not be possible without the generous help and enthusiasm of many people. Administrative Program Manager for the University's Physical Plant Jennifer Caskey, "The Cheesecake Lady," makes custom cheesecakes, cakes, and cupcakes and donated a Thanksgiving dessert package. Realizing the need to help students, Caskey said she was happy to donate because the money raised from her baked goods allows students to go to the Food Pantry and get something nutritious that they may otherwise go without.

Dr. Elaine Thompson, associate professor and coordinator in Tech's Department of History, donated two "lots" of handmade holiday greeting cards. A lifelong crafter, Thompson began making handmade greeting cards, an expensive and time-consuming process, only last year. Helping the Food Pantry, however, makes it worthwhile for her. She felt that the Thanksgiving theme of this year's luncheon and auction made it especially appropriate for her greeting cards.

"Thanksgiving is always the most important holiday in my family," she said. "We would swap holidays, and Thanksgiving was the one we had at my home. Being able to share your table with not just your family but with literally dozens of friends and people who don't have anywhere else to go was a big part of our childhood, and it's something that my parents instilled in me from a young age. Sharing with Tech's Food Pantry at the Thanksgiving Faculty Staff Club meeting is a way to live out the ideals my parents taught me."

Tech Athletics Director Ryan Ivey was thrilled to attend his first Food Pantry Auction; several of the donated and auctioned items were from Tech Athletics.

"Athletics is the front porch of the University; there's a house connected to that front porch, right?" Ivey said. "And for Athletics to be involved in a great cause like the Food Pantry is, I think, very important. It's just fun to be part of, and we're happy to do it. More people need to know about it, and anything we can do to help, we certainly want to do that."

Kennedy's bid spotters, Academic Program Chair for Agricultural Sciences and Associate Professor in Animal Science Dr. Mark Murphey and Chief of Staff for Presidential Initiatives Ryan Richard, are veterans of many auctions with the dean. Murphey has been a staple at both the Poinsettia Auction held to benefit scholarships for students on South Campus and the Livestock Auction to benefit the animal units on South Campus, as well as some additional scholarships. Richard has also helped with multiple on-campus auctions.

Murphey eagerly helped auction four Tech Farm ribeye steaks, which sold for $225.

Richard assisted with the donation from the President's Office: a faculty reserved parking space in any location during the 2024-25 academic year.

"It's the least we can do to help the Food Pantry here on campus that benefits so many students throughout the year," he said.

"What differentiates the Food Pantry Auction from other auctions is that we have historically had items donated from different areas of the campus, including Barnes & Noble at Louisiana Tech and even Jacob and Mallory Cicciarelli, the children of Dr. Jamie Newman," Kennedy said. "(Human Resources Training and Development Manager) Vanessa Mullins donated several 3D-printed bulldogs and related items that were featured throughout the auction.

"For the Food Pantry Auction, the buyers and donors are faculty and staff, who strongly support this effort," he said. "Most of the other auction events that we do are supported primarily by alumni, rather than faculty and staff."

Sharon Hughes, administrative coordinator for Tech's Department of Economics and Finance in the College of Business, was one of many at the luncheon who said she looks forward to the event every year "to enjoy everyone being together to help the Food Pantry thrive in its mission."

Lindsey Murry, director of communications and outreach at the College of Engineering and Science, helped display the auction items, along with Penny Humphries, ANS director of development and adjunct professor, who noted that an increase in enrollment has made operation of the Food Pantry more challenging and its mission more important than ever.

Elizabeth Caraway and Charlene Bird of the School of Human Ecology and the Louisiana Tech Foundation, respectively, served as clerk and cashier for the auction as they have for every auction since Kennedy asked for their help with the first one in 2018.

"The Food Pantry Auction is especially rewarding to me, as members of our faculty and staff come together for an event that directly benefits the health and well-being of our Tech students who are in need," Kennedy said. "Of course, I couldn't do it by myself. (Comptroller) Christy Martin, (ANS Administrative Assistant) Jennifer Hollis, (ANS Administrative Coordinator) Lori McCullough, and several other people donate or help with the actual event. Of course, without the bidders and buyers, it would not happen. It is truly a win-win event for our students and everyone involved."