Competitive ‘Hunger Action Challenge’ yields enough to feed 500 students

September 24, 2026

More than 2,000 individual items were tallied last week by the Saints Care Center as the 2026 Hunger Action Challenge, sponsored by the SF Chapter of Association of Florida Colleges (AFC), crowned the winner. 

“We’re just so thankful for everyone who came out in support with these great donations to get behind the work of the Saints Care Center on their first anniversary,” said Andrea Mender, director of Grants Development and president of the SF Chapter of AFC. “This was a little competition to have some fun, but it was mainly about awareness, and helping people to see the work that is going on in the Center.”

Santa Fe College’s Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences pulled ahead for the win over a strong early lead by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs in a campaign that netted enough donations to feed an estimated 500 SF students. 

The point system awarded (1) point for perishable food/toiletries, (2) points for nonperishable food, and (3) points for microwavable/ready-to-eat meals and snacks. To keep the judging proportional, the total points for each department were divided by their number of employees to calculate points per capita.

1st Place - Liberal Arts and Sciences Administration = 257.38 points

2nd Place - Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs = 241.75 points

Third Place - SF Achieve = 30 points

Saints Care Center Coordinator JB Brown said the turnout was a testament to the “culture of student care” that has made Santa Fe College one of the top educational institutions dedicated to filling in the gaps left traditionally unaddressed.