Fighting Food Insecurity On Campus

Juggling. Do you know how to do it? I sure don’t. And yet it is my entire life at the University of Michigan. Juggling my school work, personal life, extracurricular organizations, more of my personal life, paying rent, rising tuition… my head is spinning just typing these out. So where does food come in? Are you sending hopeful texts asking your one friend with a car if they are going to Kroger anytime soon?  Or are you convincing yourself that the designer priced groceries that are available near campus are worth it? Stop and rethink! On-campus organizations like Student Food Co and Maize & Blue Cupboard are here to change the way you see your food!

 

Both organizations fight against the inconvenient and financial problem of accessing food by providing nutritious and inexpensive groceries right here on campus. Student Food Co is a student run, nonprofit organization that sells affordable, healthy and conveniently located produce Tuesdays and Thursdays in Mason Hall from 10AM-4PM (for the year 2015). The smorgasbord of produce available on these days ranges from a grab-n-go banana to a sit-down sweet potato. Follow us on Facebook (Student Food Co.), Twitter (Student Food Co.), and Instagram (Student Food Co.), or check out our Student Food Co. website for weekly updates, recipes and other food related things on campus.  

 

Maize & Blue Cupboard, another food insecurity organization on campus, distributes a free bag of produce and other grocery essentials once a month on Wednesdays in room 2105A in the Union from 6-9 PM (for the year 2015). The food distributed is sourced from food rescue company Food Gatherers, which takes food from local grocery stores like Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Kroger’s that would have otherwise gone to waste due to overstocking. Maize & Blue Cupboard has also partnered with Campus Farm, providing access to food grown on campus by fellow U of M students. Follow us on Facebook (Maize & Blue Cupboard) or join our email list to receive updates on distributions dates!

 

Whether it’s the inability to consistently get to a grocery store or the financial pressure of rising tuition costs, Student Food Co and Maize & Blue Cupboard are here to help. Making your life at the University of Michigan less of a juggling show and more focused on the bigger things in life.

Contributed By: Zoe Hawtof, VP of Marketing for Student Food Co.