South Hall Rotary Club honors graduate student

As assistant director of the University of North Georgia (UNG) Gainesville Campus food pantry, Domini'que Allen knows how many students, faculty and staff regularly visit the facility inside the Student Center. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she didn't know what to expect.

"I got emails from people asking if the food pantry was open because they needed food," the UNG graduate student pursuing a master's degree in human services delivery and administration said.

Allen transitioned the food pantry from an in-person pickup model to curbside service. Borrowing from the model of many grocery stores and retailers, she developed an online form for clients to fill out and select a time for curbside delivery.

Allen's quick thinking gained the attention of the South Hall Rotary Club. The organization awarded her the inaugural Benny Bagwell Community Impact Award. Named after long-time South Hall Rotarian Benny Bagwell, the award was created to shine a light on the good works of a community member who is dedicated to service above self.

"Service is the rent we pay for living on this Earth," she said, adding she was surprised by the recognition. "I wasn't expecting anything else to come from my work with the food pantry. I just wanted to serve the students in need."