Our Goal
To establish locally-based, self-sustaining, operating entities which make healthy, basic food products readily accessible to students experiencing “food insecurity” while enrolled in local Institutions of Higher Education (IHE).
Food insecurity negatively impacts and diminishes the educational experience and capacity to learn. Food insecurity often compromises a students’ ability to perform well in their classes and can be severe enough to result in students taking time off from school or discontinuing their education entirely. The level of academic effort – in and outside the classroom- is the same. Utilizing assistance programs does not eliminate Food Insecurity. Some students may not be taking advantage of assistance programs due to their lack of awareness, or their intimidation by the enrollment process, or avoiding such assistance due to social stigmas. College and university administrations, student organizations, and nonprofit organizations are developing a wide range of programs designed to support food insecure students:
- Food Recovery Programs
- Food Recovery Program – MEANS mobile application
- Dining Center Meal Donations
- Swipe Out Hunger
- Catered Cupboard mobile application
- SNAP Retailer on Campus
- Campus Community Gardens
- Campus Farmers Markets
- Campus Kitchens Project
One of the fastest growing efforts to combat food insecurity on college campuses is the development of Campus Food Pantries. In 2009 fewer than 10 campus food pantries existed. Today there are more than 600, LESS THAN FOURTEEN (14%) OF THE 4,583 Title IV Degree-Granting Institutions in the United States of America, with over 17.5 MILLION students enrolled.
Food Insecurity
- Moderate Food Security – some level of concern or challenge in accessing quality food without significant decreases in quality, variety or quantity
- Low Food Security – quality, variety and desirability are negatively impacted, but quantity is not
- Very Low Food Security – decreases in quality, variety, desirability and quantity, as well as disrupted eating patterns due to inability to access adequate food
The NEED TODAY is to develop comprehensive solutions.
Partnering With Us
We created Partnerships By Design LLC to establish business, programmatic and operating relationships and commitments of resources via for-profit, nonprofit, public sector and philanthropic entities, and / or individuals, and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). Such relationships will create the means to locally, cost-effectively produce, acquire and distribute a selection of diverse healthy food products to students experiencing Food Insecurity while enrolled in multiple local IHE’s, at no direct financial cost to such students. The programmatic and operating business model is designed to be replicable in different local communities offering all the elements required by the business model.