Editor’s Note: The State Hornet participates in and receives donations through Give Sac State Day. This factor had no influence on our reporting.

Give Sac State Day brought together students, alumni, faculty and community members to raise funds for campus programs and student services. The annual 36-hour fundraising event for Sacramento State highlights areas across campus that rely on philanthropic support, including scholarships, academic departments and basic needs programs for students.

Michael Reza, vice president for University Advancement, said the event serves as the university’s largest annual fundraising effort and helps connect donors with programs that directly impact students. The campaign focuses the university’s energy on encouraging alumni and community members to directly support campus programs of their choice.

“Give Sac State Day is our biggest giving day of the year,” Raza said. “It’s a chance to highlight all the good things that happen on campus and invite our alumni and friends and donors to support our students and faculty.”

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Sac State Give Day also supports scholarships and academic programs across campus. Donations help fund programs like paid internships, mentorship opportunities and hands-on learning experiences. These initiatives aim to prepare students for future careers while strengthening academic programs and workforce pathways across the university, according to the Give Sac State Day website.

Numerous student services are showing out to highlight the need for more support on campus. This includes the Associated Students Inc. Food Pantry and the Basic Needs Resource Center, located at The Well. These programs offer help for students facing food insecurity, housing fears or other financial challenges while in college.

Aranjot Kaur, ASI president, said access to basic resources plays a crucial role in keeping students focused on their education and completing their degrees. Kaur said the goal of these services is ensuring students do not have to pick between basic needs and continuing their academic studies.

“Basic needs are one of the most important things in ensuring that our students continue in their academic journey with stability,” Kaur said. “Students shouldn’t have to choose between a degree or really worrying about having a roof over their head or even where their next meal is coming from.”

Kaur said the university committed $100,000 toward basic needs initiatives, $50,000 for the food pantry and basic needs resource center each. The contribution will directly support programs that help students access food and other essential resources, Kaur said.

Ryan Choi the ASI student services manager who oversees the ASI Food Pantry, said demand for the service has grown significantly over the past several years. As more students seek assistance, the Food Pantry needs more support. The Food Pantry presently serves around 700 students each week, compared to 2022, when they served 400 students each week on average, Choi said.

Choi said fundraising efforts during Give Sac State Day will support improvements to the pantry. The goal is to help the pantry operate more efficiently and expand services for students.

“We’re trying to raise $39,000 to purchase an additional set of after-hours lockers,” Choi said. “We would really like a refrigerated set for our students who want to grab produce, eggs and dairy.”

Continued community support is vital to the pantry’s ability to serve students, Choi said, emphasizing its heavy reliance on donations.

“None of your tuition dollars goes toward funding the ASI Food Pantry,” Choi said. “It is all state basic needs money and all money we fundraise in house.”

Give Sac State Day also hosted a donation match challenge called the Student Basic Needs Matching Challenge. Participants can donate to meet the goal of matching the donation from Sac State. The money will be split between the Associated Student Inc Food Pantry and the Student Basic Needs Center, according to the website.

According to the Full Circle Project’s donor page, last year’s donations added up to $374,960. Reza said that the organizers hope this year’s campaign becomes the most successful yet, with a goal of raising more money than the years prior. Reaching a higher fundraising total would reflect strong support from the campus community and alumni network, Reza said.

“I want us to get over $400,000 this year,” Reza said. “I think that would make it our best year ever.”