BGSU Ending Hunger, formerly known as PUSH, looks to bring awareness to food insecurity in college students through its various programs.
Food insecurity occurs when someone does not have reliable access to a livable quantity of affordable and nutritious food.
The University’s participation in PUSH, which stands for Presidents United to Solve Hunger, was signed in to effect by former president Mary Ellen Mazey in 2015. PUSH is a group of universities that is working to end hunger both locally and globally. Though the University decided to rename the initiative, many of the same programs will remain.
“We wanted to make sure (the name) was personalized; it had BGSU in there and ending hunger,” student coordinator Tiffany Smith said .
PUSH sent out a survey last April to a sample of students to determine the prevalence of food insecurity at the University. The results of the survey indicated almost 50 percent of the students polled experienced food insecurity to an extent.
“There are a lot of entities that are already helping students,” faculty adviser Carrie Hamady said. “We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel.”
One of the programs BGSU Ending Hunger promotes is the Falcon Cares program. This program allows students to donate extra meal swipes to other students in need. Ending Hunger also partners with local food banks and churches to help students locate the resources they may need.
The initiative also received a grant that allows them to bring a mobile pantry to the University multiple times a year. Students who are experiencing financial troubles can visit the truck to receive free groceries and a small scale farmer’s market to buy fresh produce that can otherwise be hard to find on campus. Students can also learn more about food insecurity, eating healthy on a budget and other resources available to students who may be facing food insecurity. The mobile pantry will be in the parking lot near Jerome Library from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 28.
“I think a lot of students don’t know (about) or feel guilty accepting (help),” Hamady said about student knowledge about food insecurity
BGSU Ending Hunger provides educational courses for students about budget grocery shopping and healthy cooking, as well as grocery store tours, to help students get more acquainted with effective grocery shopping. Hamady acknowledged it can be hard for students to recognize and admit they need help when it comes to food insecurity and hunger.
“The first step to this is awareness. Students don’t need to feel embarrassed if they can’t manage it,” Hamady said.