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Kane Malnar, left, presents Claire Tiffin with a ceremonial check, representing the funds raised by PA students. Image by Evan Lewis

PA Students Break Record, Raise $14,051 for Arkansas Food Bank

Jan. 2, 2025 | When the last runner in the Heroes against Hunger 5K crossed the finish line Oct. 5 at Two Rivers Park in west Little Rock, it was the Physician Assistant Students Class of 2025 that broke a record, raising $14,051 for the Arkansas Food Bank.

In a short ceremony Dec. 13 at UAMS, students in the Class of 2025 presented a large, mock check to representatives of the Arkansas Food Bank. That ceremonial prop was a stand-in for the students very real, cash contribution to the organization. The previous record total for the PA students’ annual fundraising event was about $13,000.

Through its Heroes Against Hunger 5K Race in 2024, the Kelly-Rahn-Turnage Fellowship of Physician Assistant Students raised the funds by directly soliciting donations from businesses and individuals and asking people to donate through social media.

Student volunteers organized the Oct. 5 event, which started at Two Rivers Park in west Little Rock and included more than 100 runners. Class President Kane Malnar served as the chief organizer of the event and fundraising effort, but he credited a team effort for making it happen.

“Kane showed what true leadership is throughout the whole process. He listened and supported his classmates, led by example and not authority. He was a leader amongst his class, not in front of them,” said Samantha Lawson, MPAS, PA-C, an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Health Professions Department of Physician Assistant Studies. “Every single student participated and contributed to the race in some way. If you can’t tell, I think they did a fantastic job. This year’s race showed that with creativity and teamwork, not only do you solve problems but you can make something bigger and better.”

Lawson praised several students for their roles in planning and putting on the event — Chloe Devens, Macey Decker, Lauren Fuller, DeShawn Cooney, Caroline Davis, Allison Taylor and Addie Warner.

Malnar thanked his classmates, faculty and the Arkansas Food Bank for their efforts and support.

“We had a team-based approach with how we handled each aspect of the planning. So, we had a team set aside for fundraising, a team for PR, all these different teams, and every team had a team leader. So, it was very organized, and everybody had a job to do instead of having one or two people doing 15 different things,” Malnar said.

Before accepting the ceremonial check on behalf of the Arkansas Food Bank, Claire Tiffin, the organization’s community developer coordinator, praised the students for their marketing efforts.

“Something that I think was really special about this year’s event is the marketing. Record-setting events take record-setting effort, and this year I had never seen marketing for this event like I saw it for this run. I actually felt like it was following me around Little Rock,” she added.

One in four children in Arkansas lives and grows up in food insecurity. The problem is growing, and Tiffin said they expect it to get worse in the near term, not better. The growing need makes the results of the Heroes against Hunger 5K even more significant.

In a discussion after the ceremony, Tiffin said multiple factors are driving the increased hunger and food insecurity. Growth in Northwest Arkansas is pulling more workers and residents from the state’s small towns and rural communities. That means businesses in those areas move or close, too. She said two counties in the Arkansas Food Bank’s service area don’t have a grocery store, which forces residents to drive miles to buy food. For some residents, that means a two-hour round trip to buy food.

Higher prices for food items also means residents can’t afford to buy as much food when they do shop, Tiffin said.