Accomplice businesses combating native meals insecurity, particularly amongst faculty college students, not too long ago obtained assist in the type of a $1.25 million reward from native philanthropist Harvey Najim.
Officers from the Najim Charitable Basis, San Antonio Meals Financial institution and the College of Texas at San Antonio gathered on the principal UTSA campus final week to announce the reward. Based on a press launch, $125,000 will probably be donated to the meals financial institution yearly for 10 years.
The meals financial institution offers tens of millions of kilos of meals to greater than 500 charitable organizations round Southwest Texas, together with UTSA, College of the Incarnate Phrase, Alamo Schools District and Baptist College of the Americas. College students at these campuses can entry meals at an on-site pantry or a pop-up market.
Najim and Eric Cooper, the meals financial institution’s president and CEO, mentioned accessing inexpensive meals shouldn’t be a barrier to pursuing a top quality faculty schooling.
“I do know the meals financial institution will maximize my influence with their efficiencies which is able to in flip create a studying atmosphere the place all UTSA college students have sufficient meals to thrive and graduate,” Najim mentioned within the launch.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture defines meals insecurity as an absence of constant entry to sufficient meals for each particular person in a family to reside an lively, wholesome life.
Meals insecurity amongst college students
Based on the 2021 Feeding America’s Map the Meal Hole examine, 20% to 50% of U.S. faculty college students expertise meals insecurity — greater than the ten.4% meals insecurity fee for the final inhabitants.
The identical examine reveals that charges of meals insecurity are highest amongst college students figuring out as African American or Black (58%) and college students figuring out as American Indian or Alaskan Native (59%).
UTSA opened the Roadrunner Pantry in March 2017 at its principal campus and the downtown campus pantry in February 2020. Any UTSA pupil with a legitimate UTSA ID can go to the pantry and store totally free.
Each UTSA Roadrunner Pantries collectively common 200 visits each day and 20,000 visits yearly, college officers mentioned.
LaTonya Robinson, UTSA’s senior vice provost for pupil affairs, mentioned entry to staple meals akin to bread, cereal, vegetables and fruit is necessary.
“With these meals, college students are higher ready to focus on their research,” Robinson mentioned.
Aydan Villarreal, UTSA Pupil Authorities Affiliation president, mentioned within the press launch he was grateful for Najim’s reward.
“This reward will meet an actual problem going through faculty college students all around the nation,” Villarreal mentioned. “It’s going to elevate college students out of starvation and deal with an issue that I hope we are able to work collectively to eradicate.”
Faculty meals pantries
Texas A&M College-San Antonio runs a pantry, The Basic’s Retailer, that’s open to TAMUSA college students, college and employees with a legitimate college ID.
Based on Clarissa Tejeda, director of employer relations and group outreach at TAMUSA, the college opened the pantry in response to meals insecurity within the surrounding group.
In 2024, the pantry at TAMUSA noticed about 2,000 visits, which interprets to 10,000 kilos of meals supplied there freed from cost final yr. Moreover, the meals financial institution affords a free month-to-month course on vitamin.
Tejeda mentioned offering primary meals helps college students of their path towards tutorial success.
“College students additionally get experiential classes by volunteering there,” Tejeda mentioned.
UIW’s pantry, Cardinals’ Cabinet, opened in 2018 to UIW college students, college, employees and group members.
Ricardo Gonzalez, director of UIW’s Ettling Middle for Civic Management and Sustainability, mentioned their pantry noticed 768 guests over the autumn 2024 semester.
“Meals insecurity has grown over the previous couple of years. Sooner or later in recent times, meals insecurity affected 30% to 40% of our pupil physique,” Gonzalez mentioned.
Gonzalez mentioned UIW’s pantry may also help nourish college students bodily and mentally.
“If there’s a roof over their head and their abdomen is crammed with meals, they will examine,” he added.
Almost 78,000 kilos of meals have been supplied to twenty,000 college students at 66 pop-up meals distribution markets at 5 Alamo Schools District campuses and the Eastside Training and Coaching Middle because the meals financial institution started partnering with the group faculty district.
Leticia Duncan-Brosnan, director of the district’s Pupil Advocacy Community, mentioned many group faculty college students nationwide face meals insecurity.
“Past meals distribution, our Advocacy Facilities additionally supply entry to advantages navigators, who help eligible college students with the Supplemental Diet Help Program software course of and provides them entry to much-needed meals sources,” she added.
