View Larger Image Chancellor Patterson presents Tonya Johnson with the $30,000 grant for Stocked & Reddie. Since opening on July 15, 2019, Stocked & Reddie has provided more than 68,000 meals to more than 1,100 active members.
Chancellor Patterson presents Tonya Johnson with the $30,000 grant for Stocked & Reddie. Since opening on July 15, 2019, Stocked & Reddie has provided more than 68,000 meals to more than 1,100 active members. Image by Kenneth Childres

Chancellor’s Circle Spotlight: Stocked & Reddie

By Benjamin Waldrum

| A little over one year ago, UAMS made good on a promise to build a food pantry for employees and students. Today, Stocked & Reddie has expanded far beyond its humble beginnings, providing welcome relief for thousands during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, a $50,000 grant, awarded by UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, and UAMS Health CEO, and made possible by Chancellor’s Circle donors, got the pantry off and running. This year, Patterson reinforced that commitment with a $30,000 grant. Stocked & Reddie was one of three UAMS programs to receive grants for 2020.

The Chancellor’s Circle includes those donors who support programs at UAMS through annual contributions of $1,500 or more. More than 200 household and corporate members make up the Chancellor’s Circle. The Chancellor’s Circle was created in 1984 by the UAMS Board of Advisors and has raised more than $9 million to support UAMS’ mission.

“This grant shows the importance of our program, and that the chancellor and leadership team see that this is an important outreach for our staff and students,” said Tonya Johnson, executive director of nutrition and hospitality services.

Stocked & Reddie would not be possible without its many volunteers and generous financial support, including Chancellor’s Circle grants, food donations from vendors and payroll deduction donations by employees. It relies solely on donations from individual donors, payroll deductions from generous employees and grants to keep the pantry going, Johnson said.

In just a short time, the pantry has gone from a wonderful idea to a runaway success.

Since opening on July 15, 2019, Stocked & Reddie has provided more than 68,000 meals to more than 1,100 active members, including 500 who recently joined from Arkansas Children’s Hospital. About 10% of the pantry’s members are students.

The pantry has also proven critical to weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beginning in March, Stocked & Reddie moved to a new building with ample refrigerator and freezer space and started a drive-thru service. This quickly expanded to no-contact doorstep delivery for quarantined staff and students in central Arkansas. Soon, volunteer drivers traveled across the state to assist UAMS Regional Campuses to help their quarantined employees and those needing additional support due to reduction in hours or job loss.

In three months, Stocked & Reddie delivered over 16,000 meals across Arkansas, as well as needed toiletries, household cleaning products, over-the-counter medications and baby and pet supplies. The program makes deliveries each week. With continued help from staff and students, they have adapted to every challenge.

Thanks to a concerted effort across the entire campus, Stocked & Reddie continues to thrive.

The opportunities to help are ongoing. To volunteer, visit gethealthy.UAMS.edu/pantry/volunteer. Donations of nonperishable food and new, reusable grocery bags are also accepted. To make a monetary donation, visit go.UAMS.edu/pantrygive.

Stocked & Reddie is at 401 South Monroe Street in Little Rock. Hours are 2 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, visit gethealthy.UAMS.edu/pantry or call 501-412-9642.