Monarchs Give Back is a university-wide initiative and community food drive dedicated to combatting food insecurity. Each year students, faculty, staff, and local partners unite to collect essential items for Norfolk Public Schools students in need and the Monarch Pantry serving our own ¹ú²úÂ×Àí student community. More than just a drive, Monarchs Give Back is a powerful expression of ¹ú²úÂ×Àí’s commitment to service, civic responsibility, and neighborly compassion. This campaign showcases the collective spirit of the 757—where generosity, partnership, and care for one another are core values that bring us together to uplift those in need.
Launched in 2021, Monarchs Give Back began as a campus-led food collection and has grown into a region-wide movement of service and solidarity. With the recent integration of EVMS to form the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ¹ú²úÂ×Àí, has only increased in scope. This year—along with sustaining the Monarch Pantry—donations will also support the five in Norfolk further deepening our impact on the communities that need it most.
Supported Schools
The Equity and Excellence Learning Center at Booker T. Washington High School will develop and implement the programming, activities, and opportunities for the school to connect with students on the family and community levels in order to help them academically. This mission is accomplished through passion-based, performance-based learning that encourages well- roundedness in students and their families. Booker T. Washington High School is committed to being a premier urban high school by working collaboratively with parents and community members to provide a challenging and diverse education in a safe and orderly environment for ALL students. This partnership will produce students who are critical thinkers, lifelong learners and productive citizens in a global society.
Jacox Elementary School’s EELC vision is to provide enrichment opportunities for students to enhance their learning of core content by incorporating teachers, staff, and the Family Engagement Specialist.
P.B. Young Elementary's vision is to establish an EELC that will provide equal opportunities for students & their families in the Youngs’s Terrace Community, by providing evidence-based, meaningful & engaging learning opportunities designed to enhance the likelihood of academic success through a comprehensive set of supports at the school level. We envision accomplishing this plan by providing educational opportunities that extend learning beyond the classroom and provide enrichment activities that enhance students’ creativity and sparks their interests and enthusiasm. Our vision also includes our parents as active participants in the learning process, while providing supports to families based on identified need, and to provide family workshops that empower parents and provide opportunities for engagement in school-wide activities.
Ruffner School’s EELC vision is to provide access to non-traditional enrichment opportunities for students that will enhance learning and build positive connections with the school in cooperation with parents, teachers, staff and family.
Southside STEM Academy at Campostella's program incorporates Problem and Project-Based learning with a special emphasis on the area of Engineering. Its purpose is to increase early student value and awareness in S.T.E.M. areas of Science, Technology, Pre-Engineering, and Mathematics while preparing them with 21st Century skills necessary to meet the future demands of a globally competitive workforce.
Why This Matters
Food insecurity affects more than 1 in 7 households in Virginia according to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks—and students are especially vulnerable. Many face the impossible choice between paying for tuition or basic needs like groceries. By supporting Monarchs Give Back, we help close these gaps and ensure that no student or child goes hungry, so they can focus on learning, growing, and thriving.