FAU's "Beyond Food' to Help Students with Food Insecurity
Florida Atlantic University has partnered with Boca Helping Hands to launch “Beyond Food,” a program aimed at helping FAU students experiencing food insecurity.
Florida Atlantic University is partnering with Boca Helping Hands to help students with food insecurity.
Florida Atlantic University has partnered with Boca Helping Hands to launch “Beyond Food,” a program aimed at helping FAU students experiencing food insecurity.
Incidents of food insecurity at colleges and universities across the country are increasing as college costs including tuition, housing, books and transportation go up. FAU joins more than 250 colleges nationwide to operate a food pantry on campus, which also is a current initiative within the Florida State University System.
“This program takes our efforts beyond food by connecting our students with on and off campus resources,” said Nori Carter, director of FAU’s Weppner Center for LEAD & Service-Learning. “We are fortunate to have our primary community partner, Boca Helping Hands, in our backyard.”
Students can request food assistance from Beyond Food or be referred to the service by FAU faculty, staff and fellow students. Once these requests have been received, a trained representative from Beyond Food will meet with the student to provide resources available to raise their food security level, including scheduling a time to pick up an emergency three-day food pack. Students must currently be enrolled and present a valid OWL Card.
Boca Helping Hands will provide FAU with technical advice on warehouse operations and inventory control, as well as sharing of food sources.
“Boca Helping Hands is thrilled to partner with FAU and the Weppner Center on this new initiative,” said James Gavrilos, executive director of Boca Helping Hands. “We want to be a referral source for the Beyond Food team, offering FAU students additional services needed to stabilize their finances.”
Beyond Food relies strictly on donations from the FAU community and the public. Donations of non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the Weppner Center for LEAD & Service Learning in FAU’s Student Union (UN-31), Room 206, or at Boca Helping Hands, 1500 NW First Court, in Boca Raton.
“Together, FAU and Boca Helping Hands can work to raise the food security levels of students experiencing hunger, and help them strive toward academic success,” Carter said.
For guidance on hosting a food drive, contact FAU’s Beyond Food program at 561-297-3607. To find out more about the program, visit www.fau.edu/dean/beyondfood/index.php.
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Tags: faculty and staff | students | student affairs | community