Itās not hard to find a throughline weaving across 51³Ō¹Ļās units and departments. From their dedication in the classroom to the services they administer, 51³Ō¹Ļ faculty and staff are united in their care for students.ĢżĀ
This is why a new Finish Line Initiative match opportunity holds such resonance.Ģż
To help power Change Canāt Wait towards its close this summer, ā51³Ō¹Ļās free food pantryāare being matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 through June 30. Ā
The Market is entirely funded by donations and represents direct-to-student support in action. Its ethos is simple: students should never go hungry or skip meals because they canāt afford enough to eat.Ģż
A Lifeline for Student NutritionĀ
Stocked with fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy, the Market is a free resource for 51³Ō¹Ļ students facing food security. Students are welcome to fill one grocery bag per week with their choice of food items.ĢżĀ
The Marketās new location in Mary Graydon Center (MGC) 134 comes as part of the Student Thriving Complex project and improves capacity and accessibility. New refrigerators have expanded the Marketās offerings to include meat, tofu, frozen vegetables, cheese, and other perishable refrigerated and frozen food items.ĢżĀ
Central to the Marketās mission is meeting the full spectrum of student needāfree from any harmful myths or assumptions surrounding food insecurity and who it affects.Ģż
Demand for the Market has yet to return to pre-COVID 19 levels with usage rates growing each year. Amidst inflation and rising food prices, more and more 51³Ō¹Ļ students rely on the Marketās shelves of food and personal care items to supply or supplement their grocery needs. 51³Ō¹Ļ staff and student workers also provide meal planning and nutrition guidance.ĢżĀ
The Marketās role on campus makes it an increasingly vitalĀ touchpoint for student services and the Division of Student Affairs.Ģż
A need-blind intake form asks students to self-assess their level of food insecurity, allowing 51³Ō¹Ļ staff to identify at-risk students and connect them with more permanent resources including the 51³Ō¹Ļ Student Emergency Relief Fund and support funds offered across 51³Ō¹Ļās schools and colleges. If the intake form raises certain flags, students will be immediately transferred to the Dean of Students for comprehensive services.ĢżĀ
Direct-to-Student DonationsĀ
According to Sarah Beamish, Associate Director of Annual Giving, support for the Market is directly seen and felt by students. And while the Market welcomes donated grocery items, financial gifts carry an outsized impact thanks to the Marketās partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank.ĢżĀ
āWe always like to highlight that a single gift of $25 to the Market feeds an 51³Ō¹Ļ student for two weeks,ā says Beamish. āBy taking advantage of the Capital Area Food Bankās network of suppliers, gifts of cash stretch much further than gifts-in-kind.āĀ
Through the Finish Line Initiativeāthe final charge of the Change Canāt Wait campaignāthe $25,000 match challenge for faculty and staff holds transformative potential to nearly double the Marketās budget.ĢżĀ
For Devang Rai, Kogod/MS ā23ā an 51³Ō¹Ļ alum andĀ current Salesforce analyst in the Office of Information Technologyāsupporting the Market is personal.Ģż
āThe Market helped me a lot with quality free groceries during my tenure as an international student,ā says Rai. āIt [represents] what humans need: food, shelter, and home.āĀ
It was important for Rai as an 51³Ō¹Ļ staff memberĀ to pay it forward to the Market. āI saw an opportunity to give back, so I did,ā he explains. Ā
to the Market to take advantage of the Finish Line Initiativeās dollar-for-dollar match through June 30 to assist students facing food insecurity.Ģż
