The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented needs for people and organizations everywhere, including the University of Nebraska–Lincoln community.

In response, the university’s traditional Giving Tuesday — a fundraising-focused day slated for Dec. 1 — has been moved up to May 5 and rebranded as Giving Tuesday Now (#GivingTuesdayNow).

Food and shelter insecurities represent an area of particular need for students at Nebraska and nationwide during the pandemic. Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, nearly 1 in 3 students on campus worried about not having enough to eat.

To address this challenge, the Husker Pantry is partnering with Campus Dining Services to provide meal tickets to food-insecure students. With broad support, the Husker Pantry has already assisted hundreds of students through the meal ticket program.

In the spirit of helping even more students, the Husker Pantry has launched a limited-time crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising $5,000. Meeting the goal would mean providing an additional 3,200 meals to students. A gift of $25 provides 16 meals for students in need, but gifts of any amount are welcome.

Given the highly infectious nature of the novel coronavirus, the need for hand sanitizer is also prevalent across Nebraska. The university has partnered with the Nebraska Ethanol Board to produce hand sanitizer at the Food Processing Center on Innovation Campus. The sanitizer is provided at no cost to hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and other health care providers, with more than 100 organizations already benefiting from the program.

A special crowdfunding effort is now underway to help ensure the university can continue to meet the demand for this critical product during the pandemic.

Those looking to support the university in other ways can explore their options here.