It鈥檚 not hard to find a throughline weaving across 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 units and departments. From their dedication in the classroom to the services they administer, 17吃瓜在线 faculty and staff are united in their care for students.听聽
This is why a new Finish Line Initiative match opportunity holds such resonance.听
To help power Change Can鈥檛 Wait towards its close this summer, 鈥17吃瓜在线鈥檚 free food pantry鈥攁re being matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 through June 30. 聽
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 can鈥檛 afford enough to eat.听
A Lifeline for Student Nutrition聽
Stocked with fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy, the Market is a free resource for 17吃瓜在线 students facing food security. Students are welcome to fill one grocery bag per week with their choice of food items.听聽
The Market鈥檚 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 Market鈥檚 offerings to include meat, tofu, frozen vegetables, cheese, and other perishable refrigerated and frozen food items.听聽
Central to the Market鈥檚 mission is meeting the full spectrum of student need鈥攆ree from any harmful myths or assumptions surrounding food insecurity and who it affects.听
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 17吃瓜在线 students rely on the Market鈥檚 shelves of food and personal care items to supply or supplement their grocery needs. 17吃瓜在线 staff and student workers also provide meal planning and nutrition guidance.听聽
The Market鈥檚 role on campus makes it an increasingly vital聽touchpoint for student services and the Division of Student Affairs.听
A need-blind intake form asks students to self-assess their level of food insecurity, allowing 17吃瓜在线 staff to identify at-risk students and connect them with more permanent resources including the 17吃瓜在线 Student Emergency Relief Fund and support funds offered across 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 schools and colleges. If the intake form raises certain flags, students will be immediately transferred to the Dean of Students for comprehensive services.听聽
Direct-to-Student Donations聽
According to Sarah Beamish, Associate Director of Annual 17吃瓜在线, 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 Market鈥檚 partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank.听聽
鈥淲e always like to highlight that a single gift of $25 to the Market feeds an 17吃瓜在线 student for two weeks,鈥 says Beamish. 鈥淏y taking advantage of the Capital Area Food Bank鈥檚 network of suppliers, gifts of cash stretch much further than gifts-in-kind.鈥澛
Through the Finish Line Initiative鈥攖he final charge of the Change Can鈥檛 Wait campaign鈥攖he $25,000 match challenge for faculty and staff holds transformative potential to nearly double the Market鈥檚 budget.听聽
For Devang Rai, Kogod/MS 鈥23鈥 an 17吃瓜在线 alum and聽current Salesforce analyst in the Office of Information Technology鈥攕upporting the Market is personal.听
鈥淭he Market helped me a lot with quality free groceries during my tenure as an international student,鈥 says Rai. 鈥淚t [represents] what humans need: food, shelter, and home.鈥澛
It was important for Rai as an 17吃瓜在线 staff member聽to pay it forward to the Market. 鈥淚 saw an opportunity to give back, so I did,鈥 he explains. 聽
to the Market to take advantage of the Finish Line Initiative鈥檚 dollar-for-dollar match through June 30 to assist students facing food insecurity.听
