{"id":26203,"date":"2018-08-13T16:41:54","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T20:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=26203"},"modified":"2022-03-16T10:32:28","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T14:32:28","slug":"women-killin-it-fight-against-hunger-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/women-killin-it-fight-against-hunger-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Women Killin’ It in Fight Against Hunger on College Campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The price of a college education is often synonymous with hefty loans and burdensome fees, but what if it\u2019s so much that you can\u2019t even pay for your next meal?<\/span><\/p>\n

For up to <\/span>half of all college students<\/span><\/a>, this is a stark reality. <\/span><\/p>\n

Going hungry in college is an issue that plagues students all over the country, from community colleges to elite public and private institutions. Food insecurity is strongly linked to lower graduation rates, but many students are often forced to choose between educational expenses and food. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, initiatives to help fight hunger are being implemented by students, faculty and activists across the country, and many of them are led by women. <\/span>
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In this article, we highlight five women who are \u201ckillin it\u201d in their efforts to relieve hunger on college campuses.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Anna Townsend<\/b><\/h2>\n

Former student, Vice President and Garden Fellow for Campus Kitchen at University of Kentucky<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky (CKUK) is a student-run campus initiative that works to supply healthy meals to students struggling with hunger and provide a sustainable approach to reducing food waste on campus. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since its inception in 2014, CKUK has served <\/span>8,795 meals and rescued 10,888<\/span><\/a> pounds of food. Its efforts were so powerful that in 2016, CKUK was named \u201cCampus Kitchen of the Year\u201d by the Campus Kitchen project, a national leader in community service for helping students with hunger. <\/span><\/p>\n

But perhaps the CKUK wouldn\u2019t have been so well-accomplished if not for former Vice President and Garden Fellow <\/span>Anna Townsend<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Townsend joined the project as a freshman in 2014 and, by the time she was ready to graduate in 2017, she had developed a system that would leave a lasting impression on the organization. <\/span><\/p>\n

With funding from the Student Sustainability Council, and as a part of her Lewis Honors College Capstone, Townsend developed a type of <\/span>indoor gardening method<\/span><\/a> that is both feasible and efficient for the organization. <\/span><\/p>\n

Townsend\u2019s research, which involved growing different types of lettuces in container, vertical and hydroponic gardens and assessing their feasibility, will enable CKUK to produce fresh vegetables in cooler months. <\/span><\/p>\n

She only used containers donated by other CKUK volunteers for her vertical garden, which limits consumer waste and makes for a sustainable way to grow produce.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image: University of Kentucky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c<\/span>By establishing indoor gardens for CKUK, I am more confident in my skills as a researcher and advocacy for preventable issues, such as food waste and hunger,\u201d Townsend previously told TUN. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result of my research, CKUK is able to support sustainable agriculture in several ways: maintaining indoor and outdoor gardens to provide food for healthy meals, teaching students about gardening and nutrition, and presenting this research at conferences to inspire other organizations and communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Hannah DePorter<\/b><\/h2>\n

Former student, University of Wisconsin-Madison<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Thanks to Hannah DePorter, UW-Madison now has a campus food shed that provides students and staff <\/span>access to fresh produce<\/span><\/a> for free from July to October. <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Food Shed<\/span><\/a> has four large refrigerators, which are placed at four different locations on campus for convenient access and is stocked with local produce such as beets, carrots, onions, squash, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, kale, tomatoes, oregano, basil, dill, and cranberries.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image: Jeff Miller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DePorter conceived of the idea for a food shed when she was visiting various agriculture research stations run by the university, and noticed that some produce was being wasted even though extra produce was donated to food banks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile being in the fields and weeding and harvesting there was just a lot of stuff left to compost,\u201d DePorter said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just thinking about how all that food could be given to more people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, she proposed the idea and was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Kemper K. Knapp Bequest. After that, it took only 9 months for her idea to come to fruition.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a prior interview with TUN, DePorter told us about the importance of tackling both hunger and waste. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the food shed is really important because it tackles the intersection of food security and food waste,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy ending food waste, we can better tackle food insecurity by providing fresh high quality produce free of charge that would otherwise be wasted. It is a win-win situation and we can\u2019t wait to see how this takes off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Rachel Sumekh<\/b><\/h2>\n

Founder\/CEO of Swipe Out Hunger <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Rachel Sumekh<\/span><\/a> was a college student at UCLA when she created the idea for <\/span>Swipe Out Hunger<\/span><\/a> — an organization that would later become a leading force in addressing hunger on college campuses. <\/span><\/p>\n

Swipe Out Hunger is an initiative that allows students to donate their unused meal swipes to those in need. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents can enter the dining hall with the voucher and have a warm, wholesome meal,\u201d Sumekh <\/span>told The New York Times<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program began in 2010 as a project that Sumekh took on with a few of her college friends, and since then, it has been implemented in 37 universities, and served 1.4 million meals. <\/span><\/p>\n

The organization is so effective that it was called upon to draft a piece of legislation addressing college student hunger — a legislation that the state of California adopted and put $7.5 million behind. <\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/attn\/videos\/1586233678078752\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sumekh\u2019s work has been recognized by The Obama White House and The New York Times, and even landed her on the <\/span>Forbes 30 Under 30<\/span><\/a> list. <\/span><\/p>\n

“If what we’re doing is helping people stay in school, get a degree and get a great job then this has massive impact,” Sumekh <\/span>told CNN<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Janet Napolitano<\/b><\/h2>\n

University of California, President; Former Secretary of Homeland Security 2009-13; former Governor of Arizona \u00a02003-09; Attorney General of Arizona 1998-2003; U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona from 1993-97<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Janet Napolitano<\/span><\/a> is an established public servant with a rich history of leading organizations at both the state and federal level. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, as the 20th president of the University of California, Napolitano is a champion in the fight against hunger. <\/span><\/p>\n

In July of 2014, Napolitano launched the <\/span>UC Global Food Initiative<\/span><\/a> — an initiative that aims to demonstrate and export solutions for food security, health and sustainability in California and around the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Global Food Initiative grew out of UCLA\u2019s Healthy Campus Initiative and has become a large, system-wide effort to address one of the most critical issues of today: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach 8 billion people by 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n