As part of its annual UNM Gives campaign, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, The University of New Mexico will join in the global generosity movement known as “#GivingTuesday,” a global movement of generosity designed to unleash the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

GivingTuesday is a unique day of donating that connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving across to help provide funds to meet critical needs in a variety of areas across campus.

United Way of North Central New Mexico (UWNCNM) collaborates with hundreds of community partners to focus and align around a set of shared strategies designed to improve family stability and educational attainment. These two initiatives represent a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for children, youth, and families at scale.

At UNM, there are any number of ways to give during the season of giving, which typically begins around Thanksgiving and ends with the new year. Approximately 30 percent of non-profit donations occur during that time frame.

Ways to give
One of the best ways to give back to the community is by supporting our community with a contribution to the UNM Gives Campaign, a partnership with United Way of North Central New Mexico. As a donor, you can choose to give to one of United Way’s programs or any other 501(c)3 organization you’re passionate about. Whether you are a UNM employee (including UNM HSC), or you work for UNM Hospitals (UNMH), UNM Medical Group (UNMMG), or UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center (SRMC), it’s easy and convenient to donate online or via paper.

With the community’s help, the UNM Gives campaign raised nearly $500,000 for United Way in 2022. As our community and country struggle with a variety of continuing challenges, your support and compassion have never been more critical. To donate, visit the UNM Gives campaign website. Every contribution counts and every gift makes a difference.

Although Thursday, Nov. 30 is officially the last day of the active UNM Gives campaign this year, giving portals will remain open through Friday, Dec. 15.

Lobo Food Pantry
A critical need area on campus this year involves the Lobo Food Pantry. The Lobo Food Pantry is seeking physical donations at the end of the year to help keep its shelves full after record-high use this semester. With an average of 120 daily visitors this semester, keeping food on the shelves of the pantry has been challenging. 

University Communication and Marketing (UCAM) has partnered with the Lobo Food Pantry to coordinate a food donation drive through Friday, Dec. 15. Drop boxes to donate non-perishable food items as well as personal hygiene products can be dropped off at any of the drop boxes listed here. A wish list of acceptable and useful items can be found here.

Physical donations can also be dropped off at the pantry on Fridays by appointment when the facility is closed to students. Donation appointments can be made by emailing loborespect@unm.edu, with the subject line “Food Pantry.”

Other arrangements, like campus pickup or loading dock drop-off, can be arranged if circumstances necessitate but drop-off at the pantry during operating hours is preferred. 

In addition, if you donate through the UNM Gives campaign, you can designate your gift to the Lobo Food Pantry.

For more information, visit Lobo Food Pantry seeks physical donations.

Little Lobo Holiday Wish Fund
The UNM Dean of Students Office and Children’s Campus are sponsoring a Little Lobo Holiday Wish Fund this winter to help bring joy to some of our student parents this holiday season. The goal is to raise $10,000 to provide 100 Lobo families with $100 gift cards. 

Student parents make up about 22% of college campus populations nationwide. Many student parents make sacrifices to support themselves and their families through the financial aid and loans they receive, along with the hours they work when not in class or with their children. The Little Lobo Holiday Wish Fund aims to ease the burden some of our UNM student parents may feel this time of year. 

Giving now to the Little Lobo Holiday Wish Fund through Monday, Dec. 11 ensures our UNM student parents will have time to purchase that special gift for their child(ren). Visit the Little Lobo Holiday Wish Fund to make a donation.

About GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday was created in 2012 by a team at the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y—a cultural center in New York City, as a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

A team of influencers and founding partners joined forces, collaborating across sectors offering expertise and working tirelessly, to launch #GivingTuesday and have continued to shape, grow and strengthen the movement. The day has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources as a part of the social media collaboration.

For more information about UNM’s United Way Campaign, visit UNM Gives.