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Gift of the Givers helps UFS partners combat food insecurity among students

18 March 2024 | Story Athembele Yangaphi | Photo SUPPLIED

Shoe Box — Supporting Student Success: UFS initiatives like the Santa Shoebox Project and the No Student Hungry Programme combat food insecurity, providing essential resources for students and fostering academic growth and community impact.

The University of the Free State's (UFS’s) Division of Student Affairs recently received a donation of food parcels for needy students from the Gift of the Givers Foundation. The donation forms part of the work done by the Division, the Food Environment Office and Kovsie ACT to positively impact students.

Jady Carelse, Assistant Officer in the Food Environment Office, accepted Gift of the Givers’ 250 food parcels at the UFS’s Bloemfontein Campus. “Starting a year can be very overwhelming for most students, especially first-time-entering students, as they are still trying to adapt to the change of environment,” Carelse said. “The Food Environment Office strives to ensure that food insecurity is not part of their struggle.”

Since its inception in 2011, the No Student Hungry Programme (NSH), a first in a higher education institution, continues to support students with food packages, especially those not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

“The NSH has impacted the lives of many students through the food parcel initiative. We have received testimonies from our previous and current beneficiaries on how the initiative has impacted their lives in pursuing their academics,” added Carelse.

The NSH programme's food parcel initiative and the Santa Shoebox Project by the Division of Student Affairs are vital in supporting students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in their academic pursuits.

The Santa Shoebox Project, which ran from 1 November 2023 to 1 March 2024, is one of many other initiatives that the Kovsie ACT office is highly passionate about. A-Step Assistant, Likhona Dladla, managing Kovsie ACT Community Service Portfolio, said, “We strive to be a helping hand to students by providing them with essential items such as toiletries, sanitary pads, stationery, and clothes to make their academic journey bearable.”

For the 2023/2024 Santa Shoebox Project, UFS residences donated 246 shoeboxes containing donations of toiletries for students in need. Residence Committee members responsible for community portfolios collected the donations from residence students and delivered the items in shoeboxes to the Kovsie ACT office.

“We believe that the donations we have received are of a high standard for the remaining projects and initiatives,” Dladla said.

Kovsie ACT welcomes donations from individuals beyond the university's residential community. Donations can be made directly at the Kovsie ACT office on the Bloemfontein Campus, and the team is ready to assist and accept contributions. Non-residents can also contribute through the annual Big Give donation drive, which encourages donations of non-perishable food items, sanitary pads, and clothing. Look for Big Give donation boxes around campus, gates, and key locations. Stay updated on donation drives and campaigns via campus posters and social media. Please click here to make a monetary donation to support the ‘Back a Buddy’ campaign.

News Archive

Physics Department sheds light on mystery of dark matter through films and radio programme

2017-06-23

Description: Dark Matter Tags: Dark Matter

The screening of The Dark Matter Mystery and Dark
at the Naval Hill Planetarium was followed by a discussion
recorded for the radio programme Sterre en Planete
on RSG. From left are Mariette Erwee, Senior Officer at
the School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and
Technology Education of the UFS, Prof Matie Hoffman,
Associate Professor at the Physics Department of the UFS,
Hennie Maas, from RSG, and Sakkie van der Westhuizen,
PhD student in astrophysics.
Photo: Mart-Mari Duvenhage

The Physics Department at the University of the Free State (UFS) not only recently educated the local community about the mystery of dark matter, but shared its knowledge with a much wider audience.

The first screening of two planetarium full-dome films, The Dark Matter Mystery and Dark, at the Naval Hill Planetarium were concluded with a recording for the radio programme Sterre en Planete. During the discussion, led by Hennie Maas from RSG radio station, the audience asked questions that were answered by Prof Matie Hoffman, Associate Professor at the department, Sakkie van der Westhuizen, a PhD student in astrophysics, and Mariette Erwee from the School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education. The radio show was broadcast on 18 June at 19:30 on RSG.

Shows screened at special event
According to Prof Hoffman the planetarium hosts a movie premiere whenever pre-rendered shows are screened for the first time. The films shown on 10 June 2017 introduced viewers to the quest for dark matter. “Dark Matter makes up a huge part of the Universe, but it is a great mystery. We know very little about it. We cannot see it, and it is an area of enormous interest to scientists,” Prof Hoffman said.

Films sourced from European Southern Observatory
The event was attended by various stakeholders such as loyal planetarium patrons, UFS colleagues, and those interested in astronomy. The films were sourced from the European Southern Observatory, an organisation that makes planetarium content available online.

The Dark Matter Mystery took the audience on contemporary astrophysics’ biggest quest. They saw why astronomers know dark matter exists. Dark, directed by Peter Morse, is an adventure that goes to the very edges of contemporary cosmology and data visualisation, telling a complex scientific story with a touch of humanity.

The films will be screened at the Naval Hill Planetarium from time to time and those interested can visit Computicket for more info.

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