The Panthers Give Back is an event held each year to introduce new Panthers to different nonprofit organizations in the Cedar Valley. The event features multiple service projects to bring awareness to ways students can get involved in the community. 

During Panther Welcome Week, nearly 400 new Panthers gathered in Maucker Union for this year’s event.

With materials provided by the former College Hill Arts Festival and UNI’s Division of Student Life department, students made hundreds of t-shirt bags and pet toys out of old t-shirts. The t-shirt bags are now being used at UNI’s Panther Pantry and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to carry groceries. The pet toys will be distributed to the local animal shelter, Cedar Bend Humane Society. This project alone saved over 500 t-shirts from ending up in landfills. 

Another project at this event was writing thoughtful letters to those who could use an uplifting message. Students wrote letters for over 300 residents at the Cedar Valley Western Home Communities. Hundreds of letters were also mailed to local veterans returning from Honor Flights. Led by nonprofit organizations, Honor Flights are dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to visit the memorials in Washington, D.C.  

Students also tagged photos for Fortepan Iowa, a database for the preservation, sharing, viewing, and use of local historical photographs. 

Additionally, students were given the option to visit the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo. Panthers helped take care of the Food Bank’s onsite garden by removing weeds, picking vegetables, and helping with the overall maintenance. Students also helped inside the food bank by sorting fresh produce for distribution to individuals and families.