Two weeks ago I stumbled on the new study about food insecurity at VA Tech. The Roanoke Times headline for the study reads, Study finds 1 in 3 Virginia Tech Students ‘Food Insecure’. The study records that 35% of graduate students and 29% of undergraduates are considered to have low or very low food security. Food security is a U.S. Department of Agriculture classification that defines low security as “reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet” and very low security as “disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.” I believe that those numbers are similar to numbers here on our own campus. I also paused to read about Diet Diversity:
A diet diversity score (DDS) was also developed from the student survey to measure the foods consumed by an individual within the previous 24 hours. The DDS is a proxy for dietary quality and helps provide insight into the barriers that students might face in accessing nutritious foods… This finding confirms that low food security is associated with a lower diet quality in addition to not having access to enough food.
The Flynn Multicultural Center, Spiritual Life, and a small army of others watch the stock in our campus’ three pantries constantly turn over. Our pantries consist of the “Big” pantry in Drysdale, the Phone Booth Pantry near the front entry of Hundley, and the Little Free Pantry at Spiritual Life. They are hit hardest at the end of the month and the end of the semester when resources are slim. Peanut Butter goes fast. I get texts from students wondering if there is food in the pantry. Sometimes we see our neighbors take what they need. I am so thankful for the many folks on campus who stock the pantries and for the Humanist group that now gathers food from several collection bins each week.
Little of the above is new news; I have written about it before. What surprises me the most is that students (and staff and faculty) don’t ask for help. Most in the study had not used a food assistance program, primarily because they felt other people needed more assistance than they did. Other common reasons were that students didn’t realize they qualified for benefits, didn’t know how to apply, or didn’t know who to ask. We have plenty of students who might qualify for SNAP benefits. Here is the link to see if you qualify. We also have some resources at Spiritual Life as caretakers of the Lynchburg Cares Fund.
In this time, when there are so many forces and issues that try to divide us, more and more effort is needed to maintain the special quality of this community. Being a Hornet means that we respect one another, help one another, hold each other accountable, and strive to be authentic community.
As the semester gets busier and accelerates toward the end, please take the time to appreciate one another and engage with one another in defiance of all that would pull us apart. AMEN.
Blessings, Stephanie