Relevance of group

Why is the group that you chose to research important?

I chose to base my research on an organization that handles hunger and food insecurity among college students. The reason being that food and nutrition heavily impact academic performance, I wanted to provide a site that could potentially help out any classmates or peers who are struggling with food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined as the state of not having reliable access and a sufficient amount of food to support one’s self or family. This issue has a direct impact on a large majority of people in this class since we are all college students and people who experience hunger. In a survey of 86,000 student participants done by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (Hope Center), 45% of respondents were food insecure within the past 30 days. Food insecurity is very much an issue since students do not perform as academically well when they are unable to think and concentrate due to hunger.

History and Purpose

Brief history of the educational organization that you have researched along with the purpose of the organization?

Swipe Out Hunger, a nonprofit group created by UCLA students in 2010, strives to minimize hunger by creating anti-hunger programs and activities formulated to empower and address food dilemmas on college campuses. This organization has also partnered with colleges and universities across over 400 different campus networks (Swipe Out Hunger). Furthermore, they promote programs within high-education institutions that are sustainable, student-centric, innovative, and destigmatizing to ensure food security for students. Since this organization began, it has provided 2.5 million nourishing meals across 41 states and more than 400 campuses.

For Whom?

Whom do they serve?

The target audience for Swipe Out Hunger is college students. Its primary mission is to provide food The target audience for Swipe Out Hunger is college students. Its primary mission is to provide food security for students on campus; they claim that a college campus may seem like a place of equal opportunities, but in reality, students from low-income families don’t receive proper access to basic necessities like food. According to American Progress, during the past 20 years, Black and Hispanic households have been twice as likely to experience food insecurity as white households. Furthermore, about 36% of first-generation college students come from minority groups; the most common predictor for food insecurity was gender, race, economic status, and living situation (being a first-generation student, borrowing money, etc.).

————————–

“My academic performance has improved, socially I feel more connected to campus, and my mental health is much better on the days when I am able to eat on campus. I believe my physical health has improved overall since I’m able to get more balanced meals at least twice a week.” (Swipe Out Hunger)

————————–

Available Programs

Programs offered?

This organization is challenging food insecurity within college campuses by developing on-campus solutions, pledging for changes through policies and advocacy, and student empowerment. Swipe Out Hunger has implemented several anti-hunger programs, such as the “Swipe Out Hunger Drive”, an on-campus food drive that enables fellow students to donate meals to their peers going through food insecurity. Swipe Out Hunger is also advocates for the Hunger-Free Campus Bill on a state level and other federal legislations working to end student hunger. They also train students to become leaders on the subject and take initiative to be at the forefront of every campus food security program.

Potential Improvements

What could they do better?

One improvement that I can suggest is having a few more examples of what they have accomplished within the past 12 years since they first launched their organization. It would be helpful for those who are interested in getting involved to see the exact type of activities, work, and programs this organization runs. Another tip is to showcase how their programs and actions have helped students from campuses, possibly interviewing or providing visual evidence on the communities they have helped at a few campuses over the years. The last suggestion is to include information about how their organization is working through the challenges of being remote, describing how their volunteers can continue to volunteer despite the pandemic. Other than that, they have a well-designed website that demonstrates years of work and dedication to ending the issue of student hunger.

Accessibilty and Red Flags

Was information about the organization accessible? Red flags?

Yes, most information on the site was easily accessible, the site itself was also organized and navigatable. I couldn’t find any red flags, everything about the site seemed legitimate and professional to me. This organization is passionate about the topic and its staff and board members are all highly qualified professionals. My only “flag” is I believe their mission statement should be a bit longer and more detailed. It was quite short and vague, the only way I could get more information about what their goals and aspirations were was to look through their entire website to get a better picture.

Other Organizations

What other organizations are doing similar work?

No Kid Hungry is another nonprofit organization that has similar values to Swipe Out Hunger. Their goal is to end childhood hunger in the U.S. This organization is run by another organization known as Share Our Strength and has been operating for 25 years. Share Our Strength works to end hunger and poverty in America, it is the main organization that runs several other branch organizations such as No Kid Hungry, International Grants, and many more.

Resources

Image one:

Nadworny, E., & Lombardo, C. (2019, January 10). Report: College Students Are Hungry And Government Programs Could Do More To Help. NPR-Education. https://choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/10/683302685/report-college-students-are-hungry-and-government-programs-could-do-more-to-help

Image two:

Ruth, E. (2020, April 23). Food insecurity | UDMagazine | UDaily. University of Delaware Magazine. https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2020/april/food-insecurity/