MISSOULA - The Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) hopes to connect students to resources that can support them before, during and after their education.
ASUM Bear Necessities hosted a resource fair at the University Center on Monday, April 17, 2023, as a way to introduce students to resources that can provide needed support. The fair was the first ever of its kind.
Bear Necessities is an agency at UM that helps students experiencing needs insecurity.
“We decided to throw this resource fair because as an agency, Bear Necessities deals with a lot of students who experience basic needs insecurity," Bear Necessities program coordinator Kenzie Carter said. "Whether that’s food, our housing, or finances."
The fair was filled with booths of organizations on and off campus.
"All of the organizations and mutual aid groups are groups that we have referred students to time and time again," Carter says.
Some of the organizations include the Missoula Food Bank, Homeward, and Seedlings for Solidarity.
ASUM provided used a BINGO game to encourage students to speak with each booth.
Those who crossed a BINGO out on their card were placed in a drawing for a river tube, water cooler or wet bag.
While this was the fair's first year, Carter hopes to continue the tradition.
"We hope to do it every spring. Spring being the time when a lot of students graduate and lose access to a lot of the on-campus resources that are specifically for students," she says.
The event was sponsored by Opportunity Bank and Clearwater Credit Union.
