What is the Project?
Over the course of this project, the group worked to help fight food insecurity at NC State and in the surrounding area. The group volunteered with the Food Recovery Network, and with Feed the Pack Food Pantry.
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Project Importance
The project was important, as it allowed us work towards fighting food insecurity in the surrounding communities. We were able to take excess food from Clark Dining Hall, where it would have been thrown away, to the Raleigh Rescue Mission. We also were able to volunteer at a local food bank to help distribute food to those that needed it.
Project History
9/17/17- Rebekah and Zachary volunteer at
Food Recovery Network
9/24/17- Rebekah and Sam volunteer at
Food Recovery Network
10/1/17- Zachary volunteers at FRN
10/8/17- Sam volunteers at FRN
Food Recovery Network
9/24/17- Rebekah and Sam volunteer at
Food Recovery Network
10/1/17- Zachary volunteers at FRN
10/8/17- Sam volunteers at FRN
Information of the Sustainability Issue
. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. The issue is the exceedingly prevalent evidence of how many people in the Raleigh community and at NC State university are food insecure. According to an article titled “Student Hunger and Homelessness” by EAB, a 2016 survey conducted at both community colleges and four year institutions identifies that almost 20% of students report very low levels of food security while 7% experienced homelessness. At NC State, there is food available, and there are hungry students, but the issue has been connecting the resources to those who really need them. At NC State University, a student-run food pantry within the Department of Academic and Student Affairs offers resources to students facing food insecurity. This food pantry participates in a broad on-campus event called Pack-a-palooza where any of the 50,000 attendees can come to the booth to learn more about the pantry and why it is needed. This spreads awareness and can help connect the people who need it, as mentioned before.
Issue Going Forward |
At North Carolina State University, student leaders are developing a free cookbook to help individuals make healthy meals with the food they obtain at the pantry. The problems that need to be faced moving forward is the healthy nutrition student’s need and what can be preserved and held at a food pantry. A development moving forward would be an availability of fresh produce and a greater variety in foods for students who are food insecure.
The Food Recovery Network would benefit from being able to recover food every night from both Clark and Fountain, but as of now there is not enough volunteers and transportation available to make this a reality. Having more volunteers who would be willing to commit to transporting the food one night per week would be a huge help to the FRN, and would likely be possible if their efforts were more widely seen and known around campus and the community. The lack of knowledge about efforts on campuses and awareness of how to get involved is an issue that is widely faced at every college campus that attempts to aid in the sustainability issue.
At North Carolina State University, student leaders are developing a free cookbook to help individuals make healthy meals with the food they obtain at the pantry. The problems that need to be faced moving forward is the healthy nutrition student’s need and what can be preserved and held at a food pantry. A development moving forward would be an availability of fresh produce and a greater variety in foods for students who are food insecure.
The Food Recovery Network would benefit from being able to recover food every night from both Clark and Fountain, but as of now there is not enough volunteers and transportation available to make this a reality. Having more volunteers who would be willing to commit to transporting the food one night per week would be a huge help to the FRN, and would likely be possible if their efforts were more widely seen and known around campus and the community. The lack of knowledge about efforts on campuses and awareness of how to get involved is an issue that is widely faced at every college campus that attempts to aid in the sustainability issue.
Environmental, Economical, and Social Context
Looking at the screenshot from the USDA food security page, we can see various issues involving economic wage issues, social issues with weight and missed meals, and environmental issues with possible lack of (or surplus of if they’re being produced and not consumed) production of items in a balanced meal such as vegetables, fruit, and meat. When food is produced but not consumed, a lot of the time it ends up in landfills, but finding ways to divert the waste in order to end hunger would make the system sustainable. Waste diversion is a focus of both campus partners in the same way, as instead of being thrown away the food is donated to the NCSU pantry or sent with the FRN.