Arkansas Tech University senior Danielle Duggan is one of 21 individuals from around the United States selected as a 2019 Tyson Foods Hunger Hero.
A management and marketing major from DeQueen, Duggan was nominated for the honor based upon her work to combat food insecurity as part of her platform for the Miss Arkansas competition.
As a result of being named a Tyson Foods Hunger Hero, Duggan had the opportunity to select a hunger relief organization to receive a $2,500 grant from Tyson. She chose the Green and Gold Cupboard, a food pantry that serves students, faculty, staff and retirees in need at Arkansas Tech.
“It was a big decision I had to make because that is a lot of money, and I knew that could make or break an organization,” said Duggan. “I’ve been a part of several organizations in my hometown as well as here in the Russellville area, but I’m in the University Honors program (at ATU) so I knew about the Green and Gold Cupboard and how many people it supports. I’ve volunteered here before, and I can see where improvements need to be made. This is near and dear to my heart, and ultimately that was the basis of my decision. This is part of the university I love so much and have put so much time and energy into supporting for four years.”
Duggan’s love for ATU is reflected in her involvement on campus. She has held multiple leadership positions with Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, been a candidate in the Miss Arkansas Tech University Pageant, served on the Presidential Leadership Cabinet, earned a position as a Student Government Association senator, gained entrance to the Order of Omega and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies and participated in Victory campus ministry.
She has a similar affection for Tyson Foods and the work it does in the communities it serves.
“Both of my parents have worked for Tyson for over 25 years,” said Duggan, who served an internship in the human resources office at Tyson Foods in Dardanelle during summer 2019 and continues to work there part-time. “My dad has six chicken houses, and we grow chickens for Tyson. Agriculture and the importance of it have been instilled in me since I was very young. Tyson has given millions of dollars in recent years to hunger relief organizations and has rewarded people through the Hunger Heroes program. It’s so important for corporate entities like Tyson Foods to have connections to small towns and to care so much about communities and the people who work for them.”
Duggan will graduate from ATU in May 2020. She and her fiance, Jeffery Davis, plan to reside in Little Rock following their wedding next spring.
The ATU Green and Gold Cupboard on the Russellville campus is open Mondays 3-6 p.m., Thursdays 3-6 p.m. and Fridays noon-3 p.m. during the fall 2019 semester.
Anyone with a valid ATU identification card and a need is welcome to stop by for a bag of groceries and hygiene products.
Learn more about the Green and Gold Cupboard at www.atu.edu/foodpantry.
Photographed (from left-to-right): Dr. Jamie Stacy, assistant director of University Honors at ATU; Emilee Smith, an ATU junior from Rogers and student coordinator of the Green and Gold Cupboard; Danielle Duggan, an ATU senior from DeQueen and Tyson Foods Hunger Hero award winner; and Dr. Jan Jenkins, director of University Honors at ATU.
