With the economy struggling and charitable organizations such as food banks feeling the downturn, students at some universities have found ways to help.Students at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, created a “Skip a Meal” campaign to allow students to donate meals to local charity organizations, according to a McMaster University new release.The program is organized by MAC Bread Bin, a campus organization devoted to helping underprivileged students with financial aid.”The recession has hit everybody hard, though some of those the hardest hit are community social programs and the people who use them,” Patrick Byrne, MAC Bread Bin Meal Exchange coordinator, said in the release.Other universities creating meal plan donation programs include the University of Pennsylvania and Bowling Green State University.David Heidke, LSU dining and concessions director, said the University doesn’t have a program to donate unused meal plans.Heidke said meal plans are designed by the anticipated level of usage based on historical trends. He said past meal plan usage is built into the business model, to estimate a cost for the plan.”Take anyone of these meal plans and drive them up 100 percent, and it will drive up the cost of the plans to students,” he said. “In some ways, it’s a missed opportunity. We’re prepared for the number of students with meal plans to come dine with us each day, and know the cost associated with that.”Heidke said the University averages 83 percent usage on meal plans, which is higher than the national average of 60 percent.Though the University does not donate unused meal plans to charities, leftover food products and supplies at the end of a semester are donated to local food banks, Heidke said.Heidke said the subject of donating meal plans to charities is a reoccurring question.”This is not the first time we’ve been asked this question,” he said. “Just about every semester someone asks about a way to donate unused meal plans.”Chris Merritt, former University student, said the one semester he had a meal plan, he bought the cheapest plan and used all his meals with a week left in the semester.”I was trying to use them up — I bought meals for friends,” he said. “I figured, I paid for it, might as well use it.”Merritt said if the option was available, he would have donated his extra meals.Andrew Krontol, summer student, said he has four unused meals for the summer, but plans to use them by the time he leaves today.”After my exam, I’ll probably by dinner for friends in my class or load up on chips for the drive home,” he said. “I would be open to donating to a charity if the option was open.”While unused meal plans can’t be donated, there are other ways to use up the pre-paid meals.Heidke said at the end of the semester, many students used leftover meals to buy food for friends and custodians.”There are other means students use to take advantage of everything they’ve paid for,” he said. “We just don’t have a program to donate unused meal plans.”—-Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]