Hundreds of plates of glazed ham loaf, chicken nuggets and buttermilk pancakes went untouched Monday in the ISU Dining Halls as the Miss-a-Meal program teamed up with the ISU Homecoming committee to benefit the United Way.

Students with meal plans signed up with their resident assistants and in the dining centers two weeks ago to miss the evening food service meal. The money that was saved on food will be donated to the United Way of Story County.

Carol Peterson, coordinator of residential dining, said the evening meal costs between $1.60 and $2.00. The 800 signatures she counted means about $1,600 will go to the United Way, Peterson said.

She credited the success to this year’s organizers, Homecoming Central Committee community project coordinators Kendra Nelson, senior in agronomy, and Sarah Johnson, junior in elementary education.

“I was very impressed with them,” Peterson said.

Ben Bastin, junior in psychology, works in the Linden Dining Center and signed up to miss Monday’s meal.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to buy my own food, so I can help someone else,” he said.

Amanda Ferguson, resident assistant, said the girls of Busse House in Freeman Hall banded together to help out.

“We are providing dinner for those who signed up on our floor,” said Ferguson, senior in psychology. “We’re just going to order Subway with our house dues.”

Busse resident Andrea Hoening, senior in English, said missing dinner was an easy way to give. “It gave us the opportunity to do something to help others, without taking a lot of time,” she said.