Addressing Student Hunger: The UCLA Swipe Out Hunger Program and Beyond
When you go to your next class, take a look at the people sitting around you. Odds are likely that somebody in your class is currently experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity is a critical issue affecting college students nationwide, and innovative programs like Swipe Out Hunger are emerging as key resources to combat this problem. Founded at UCLA in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has grown into a national movement, addressing hunger among college students. It has partnerships with more than 110 college and university partners. This article delves into the details of the UCLA Swipe Out Hunger program, its impact, and the broader context of food insecurity among college students.
Understanding Food Insecurity on College Campuses
Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food needed to live a healthy life and is usually caused by financial constraints. Along with food, some individuals also face basic needs insecurity, lacking adequate water, shelter and safety. A person who is food insecure has at times run out of money to buy food, or they sometimes run out of food before they can get more money. It has been estimated that 1 in 3 college students faces food insecurity. The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice reported in a 2019 study that 45% of 86,000 student respondents from over 100 institutions experienced some level of food insecurity.
Many students facing food insecurity are employed and receive financial aid. Insecurity can be felt in a range of severity. 42% of student respondents to the Hope Center study reported low to very low (but still present) insecurity while 44% reported high food insecurity. In addition, African American, Hispanic and first-generation student populations feel basic needs insecurity more strongly than others. There are numerous factors that go into food and basic needs insecurity. Many insecure students cannot benefit from federal assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because they do not meet the requirements. There are also students dealing with homelessness or who have aged out of the foster care system. Poverty, child care and lack of familial support are other contributing factors. With the continuous and exorbitant rise in cost of tuition and rent, financial aid repeatedly falls short in providing enough aid to cover educational costs let alone basic needs costs. To deal with the rising cost of college, many students take on part-time or full-time jobs while attending classes. The Hope Center study results showed that the majority of food and housing insecure students are working anywhere from a few hours to 30+ hours per week. The time spent working to cover the costs of tuition and basic costs is less time available for studying and extracurricular activities or internships.
Food insecurity is a critical student issue that may negatively affect student health and academic outcomes. According to the 2016 UC GFI Student Food Access and Security Study, about 40% of surveyed UCLA students reported experiencing food insecurity in the last 12 months. Of those students experiencing food insecurity, about 23% reported low food security (reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet) and 16% reported very low food security (disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake). Food insecurity was higher among undergraduate students compared to graduate students and substantially higher among minority students.
The Genesis and Growth of Swipe Out Hunger
Founded by a group of friends at UCLA in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has grown campus by campus into a national movement serving 2 million nutritious meals to date. Recognized for its entrepreneurial nature, Swipe Out Hunger has been named an Obama White House Champion For Change and its founder, Rachel Sumekh, has landed a spot on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. From its beginnings as a grassroots movement at UCLA in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has since served 2 million nourishing meals across 39 states and more than 120 campuses.
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Swipe Out Hunger is the leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students. They also promote on-campus solutions, policy and advocacy pathways, and student empowerment practices to address student hunger. It advises colleges and universities on the design of commonsense and innovative anti-hunger programs. The most commonly adopted model is the organization’s flagship program, “The Swipe Drive,” which allows students to donate their extra meal plan swipes to their peers who face food insecurity on campus.
How Swipe Out Hunger Works
Swipe Out Hunger operates primarily through a meal swipe donation system. Students can donate their extra meal swipes to other students on campus, creating a meal share network. The donated meals are transferred to students’ ID cards allowing them to directly swipe into the dining hall. This allows struggling students to participate in the social activity of going to the dining hall, while ensuring that students have access to nutritious food. Stigma surrounding food insecurity is also decreased with meal sharing.
At Cornell University, for example, students can donate bonus meals from their current Traditional or House meal plan each semester. Donated bonus meals are collected and placed in a Swipe Out Hunger fund, and Cornell students who meet eligibility requirements will be given access to a Swipe Out Hunger meal plan. Participating students can use the Swipe Out Hunger meal plan in any of Cornell Dining’s Dining Rooms. The Swipe Out Hunger program is administered by the Office of the Dean of Students through First-Generation and Low-Income Student Support.
Impact and Expansion
Swipe Out Hunger has served about 1.7 million meals to date. In the 2020 - 2021 school year, Swipe Out Hunger provided 500,000 meals to students experiencing food insecurity across the nation. Sodexo’s commitment on each campus is to provide meal swipes for the Meal Swipe Bank equal to the sum of fall and spring mandatory meal plans sold. Once students are enrolled in the program, these meal swipes are distributed directly onto student ID cards, allowing those in need to anonymously redeem free meals on campus.
As a result of the pilot, 80 percent of participating students felt less stress and 44 percent performed better in their classes.
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Addressing Food Insecurity at UCLA: A Multi-Faceted Approach
UCLA offers a variety of food insecurity resources. Some programs on UCLA’s campus are geared specifically towards students. For instance, the Economic Crisis Response meal voucher program sets aside a certain amount of meal vouchers, which can be used in the dining halls, every year for students in need. These meal vouchers can be picked up at the LGBT Center, Dashew, Bruin Resource Center (BRC), Community Programs Office (CPO), and the Transfer and Veteran student centers. The CPO Food Closet is another student-oriented resource on campus, which can be found in the Student Activities Center (SAC), room 111. Founded in 2009, the Food Closet aims to gather uneaten food from events, that would normally go to waste, or donations, and redistribute it to students who may be in need. CalFresh, a California-government sponsored resource, is available not only for students, but for faculty and staff who are eligible as well. When enrolled in CalFresh, you could receive up to $194 a month for groceries which can be spent at places like Ralph’s, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. While CalFresh is a state-wide resource, UCLA has its own CalFresh Initiative, located in SAC CPO 105E. This initiative, dedicated to enrolling eligible students in CalFresh, also has a Pre-Screening Tool to help you find out if you’re eligible for the program. There are also many resources just outside of UCLA, like Café 580. Café 580 is located at 580 Hilgard Avenue, just across the street from campus and offers free food, internet, and study space for students. The Santa Monica Food Bank is a community resource, also available for UCLA students, staff and faculty. Located at 1710 22nd Street, their goal is to help provide food to low-income families in hopes of alleviating the stress of deciding between buying food or paying rent. A nationwide resource available to UCLA students, both during their time at UCLA and beyond, is Dial 2-1-1. 2-1-1 provides resources ranging from housing, health and other crises needs. Specifically, it can give information on food pantries and other programs that can help address food insecurity in your community.
Key UCLA initiatives:
- CalFresh Outreach: CalFresh is a government entitlement program that provides monthly food benefits to assist low-income households in purchasing the food they need to maintain adequate nutritional levels. This year CalFresh became a priority of the Food Security Working Group because it is an underutilized resource that can provide up to $194 for food purchases per month to students in need who qualify for the program. College students are eligible if they meet one of several criteria including if they are approved for state or federal work-study money.
- CPO Food Closet: The CPO Food Closet was created in 2009 as a direct response to the economic downturn to provide a designated campus space to provide free food for students in need. The food closet changed leadership this year and is now managed by Chidera Izuchukwu and a team of CPO staff. The closet underwent a renovation in Fall 2016 to add refrigeration and additional storage capacity for perishable items and now regularly distributes fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy, and other high nutrient foods. The food closet remains heavily utilized by students, as well as some staff, and is restocked several times per day.
- CPO Grocery Shuttle: A pilot grocery shuttle van was launched in Spring 2017 to provide transportation for students to low cost grocery stores in the San Fernando Valley.
- ECRT Meal Voucher Program: The meal voucher program, managed by Serifa Dela Cruz and several other partners with the Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), distributes free meals to students in need each quarter, but has a demand that exceeds its budget most quarters. Most meal vouchers are donated by student swipes through the student group Swipe Out Hunger (SOH).
- 580 Café: 580 Café (operated by Wesley Foundation Serving UCLA) has become a key community partner in the Working Group and is an important community and food resource for students at its location on the grounds of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, adjacent to the northeastern side of campus.
- Farmers’ Market Gleaning and Distribution Program: The Farmers’ Market Gleaning and Distribution Program was launched in Fall 2015 by GFI Fellows Savannah Gardner and Tyler Watson and continues to serve students on a weekly basis. Working with the nonprofit partner Food Forward (foodforward.org), UCLA students (primarily from Swipe Out Hunger) volunteer at a farmers’ market gleaning in West Los Angeles each Sunday afternoon.
- Food Recovery: Campus food recovery efforts continued through 2016 - 17 with a focus on moving towards formalizing food recovery options.
- Mobile Teaching Kitchen: The Food Security Working Group coordinated with the newly implemented HCI Teaching Kitchen Collaborative to plan for a mobile teaching kitchen that could be utilized at different campus locations.
- Food for Finals: USAC Facilities Commission distributes healthy snacks to students during the 10th week (finals week) of each quarter to help nourish studying students at libraries on campus.
- Holiday Food Boxes: In Fall 2016, CPO formally implemented a holiday food box distribution to help students who have a need during the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Each box contained food items for a full holiday meal, plus additional food items for the duration of the holiday break.
- Student Grocery Cooperative: The Student Food Collective (SFC) aims to provide fresh, delicious, sustainable food for the UCLA community, celebrate the artistic and cultural vibrancy of our campus, and bring people together.
ECRT Resources and Support Services
The Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT) is a multidisciplinary, interdependent network of campus partners dedicated to providing holistic support to students experiencing financial distress. ECRT provides Emergency Short-Term Loans, Emergency and Basic Needs Grants, Emergency Meal Program, Emergency Housing Holistic Support and Financial Crisis Case Management.
The Emergency Meal Program (EMP) supports UCLA students experiencing food insecurity and lacking access to regular, nutritious meals. ECRT provides two types of emergency meal support-dining swipes or ASUCLA meal vouchers-based on availability. All meal swipes are made possible through a limited pool of student donations organized by UCLA Swipe Out Hunger. ASUCLA meal vouchers are made possible through the UCLA Basic Needs Committee and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
Overcoming Challenges and Expanding Access
Despite the success of programs like Swipe Out Hunger, challenges remain in fully addressing student food insecurity. One of the major attractions of the swipe program is that it allows struggling students to participate in the social activity of going to the dining hall, while ensuring that students have access to nutritious food. Stigma surrounding food insecurity is also decreased with meal sharing since the donated meals are transferred to students’ ID cards allowing them to directly swipe into the dining hall.
To get involved:
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- Sign this pledge urging Congress to support students’ basic needs;
- Advocate on campus and beyond with their advocacy toolkit; or
- Join their student advocacy group to collaborate with like-minded students across the country.
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