In the heat of the summer, students found a way to make an impact in their community. Thrive2Gethr is a growing organization dedicated to fighting against food insecurity, and this year, students have started a new chapter in Little Rock.
Founded in 2022, Thrive2Gethr is a national nonprofit that partners with local businesses to fight food waste. Senior Amol Kattaria, the founder and president of the Little Rock chapter, was inspired by the foundation on social media.
After Kattaria did more research, he figured out Little Rock is the second highest in the country for food insecurity.
“I saw [that] and thought, ‘yeah, I want to start [a chapter] here,’” Kattaria said. “It’s definitely a big issue.”
The organization is primarily youth-led and uses its platform to give back to local groups that are experiencing food insecurity.
“Thrive2Gethr takes all the leftover food that would get thrown out at the end of the day, and donates it to homeless shelters,” Kattaria said. “It’s for places in need of food for people who can’t afford it.”
Although many Central students are involved in the organization, the chapter is currently not affiliated with one school.
“We have members who come from Parkview, Robinson, Catholic, Mount St. Mary, and Central, but right now we’re trying to make it a club,” Kattaria said.
Kattaria hosted the first fundraiser at the Retro Sno stand in West Little Rock Aug. 8 alongside Vice President, senior Caitlin Cheng.
“We ended up partnering with Retro Sno because the person who runs it is kind of in our same demographic, so it’s easier to get in touch with them,” Cheng said. “They gave us a good percentage of sales that we can donate to [the organization].”
Cheng said she believes that food insecurity should be recognized in Little Rock, and that this recognition is crucial for the well-being of the community.
“At the school we go to, we see a lot of kids that the only food they get is from school lunch or breakfast,” Cheng said. “So I think it’s important to not only fight food waste, but also to have kids get full bellies so they can learn and be focused.”
Sophomore Jackson Lord attended the Retro Sno fundraiser after being drawn to the organization by the students whose signs encouraged locals to stop by.
“It’s really nice to see how many people showed up and volunteered,” Lord said. “It definitely showed the care from the community over the issue.”
Outreach coordinator, sophomore Maggie Waldron, initially got involved through encouragement from her friends.
“It’s a very good thing to do, collecting things to give to homeless shelters,” Waldron said. “It’s something that needs to be done more
often.”
With Thrive2Gethr on the verge of becoming a full-fledged club, they’re ready to ramp up their fight against food insecurity. By bringing people and resources together, they’re working to make sure everyone has access to healthy meals. As the initiative evolves into a club, it’s set to broaden its impact, inviting more individuals to join in the mission of ending hunger in the community.
