The common stereotype of a college student living off of cheap ramen noodles, two pennies, and a ball of lint is unfortunately a relatable situation for a lot of people at some point in their academic career. While the caloric needs are hopefully more than met, nutritionally, it leaves a lot to be desired. But as produce gets more expensive, and money gets tighter, Michigan Tech’s many aid opportunities, such as the services offered by The Husky Food Assistance Network (HuskyFAN), are ready to fill the gap. However, up-to-date information about the situations students are facing is crucial to accurately approach and remedy the issues.
As part of a project run by the Undergraduate Program for Exploration and Research in Social Sciences’ project (UPERSS), a food insecurity survey will be running until Nov. 14, that all willing students are encouraged to participate in. This will be the first in-depth survey taken on the matter since 2018. The Department of Social Sciences and faculty mentor Dr. Angie Carter, in collaboration with Undergraduate Student Government, put on the survey not only to gather information about the problems facing students, but also to inform the students about areas of struggle that they may not even be aware of.
Katherine Loff-Peterson, an undergraduate research assistant, working alongside Maggie Denney and Ellie Rizk, performed research over the spring semester that informed the content of the new survey and the goals they hope to accomplish with the data. When asked about the plan with the data, Loff-Peterson said, “With the data we collect, we will help inform HuskyFAN on practices that could help them reach more students. We have also been working with the Dean of Students office and the Office of Sustainability and Resilience, so we will provide them with the data as well so that they may assist in providing necessary changes on campus.”
In order to get an accurate assessment of the student population, the goal is to get as many people as possible to participate, whether or not they’re experiencing food insecurity. “Many things can contribute to food insecurity that students may not realize makes them food insecure. Many students may meet calorie recommendations through processed foods, but may not be able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables because of the costs, or students may skip meals because they don’t have time to get groceries or prepare the meal,” said Loff-Peterson. “Even students with meal plans may be food insecure if they are unable to eat enough food due to allergies or diet restrictions that are not considered by dining services. The more students that fill it out, the more students we are able to help by bringing this information to the people that can make meaningful changes.”
The survey is said to take between five to ten minutes, and participants are entered into a giveaway of 16 different $10 MTU gift cards that will be distributed after the survey is closed. Students have received emails with links to the survey, and it can be found in the Student Scoop as well.
In the meantime, the pantry is open to everybody, no documentation or application necessary, so no Husky goes hungry. Gabriel Belanger, the Student Outreach Coordinator for HuskyFAN, reiterated that “The pantry won’t run out of food; we have many collaborations throughout the year with the community & on the campus to keep us stocked consistently.”
For anybody that wants to donate, Belanger also said, “We will gladly accept any non-perishable, fresh produce, or paper (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) products. Canned vegetables, fruits, proteins (tuna, chicken), beans, noodles, and rice are all popular donation items. One thing that we ask is that expired, opened, repackaged, or home-produced products not be donated, as we are not able to give these out to students. We recommend giving these products to the Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, where they can be distributed.” Any further questions regarding the food pantry can be directed to huskyfan@mtu.edu.
