Tag Archives: food insecurity

CSU Surveys Students on Food and Housing Security

A volunteer stocks a student food shelf on campus. The Academic Affairs Division raised $7,000 for the SJSU Food for Students fund to support this and other efforts to help students with food insecurities.

A volunteer stocks a student food shelf on campus. The Academic Affairs Division raised $7,000 for the SJSU Food for Students fund to support this and other efforts to help students with food insecurities.

The California State University is currently surveying all students by email as part of an extensive research study on food and housing security. The survey findings will be used to develop campus and system programs that address student needs so they can succeed in their pursuit of a degree. The data will also be used to mobilize public policies.

San Jose State University students received an email invitation to participate in the CSU system-wide study, which is now open until December 5, 2016. Students who take the survey have a chance to win a $40 gift card.

How can you help with the survey as faculty?

  • Mention the survey before or during class. Students have positively reacted to faculty members who have shared resources, invited them to research opportunities, and are able to articulate the importance of good data.
  • Email or post about it in emails to your class, via social media, or in online information areas such as Canvas.
  • Have students find the email with the subject line “CSU Study on Food and Housing Security” and complete it today.

SJSU has had students respond so far, but the campus received special permission to extend the survey until Dec. 5 to gather more responses. The survey is critical to the second phase of the study, which was originally commissioned by the CSU Chancellor’s Office in April 2015.

Results of the first phase of research revealed that one in five CSU students experience food insecurity and one in 12 experience housing displacement. Given the scope of this issue and its impact on students, the CSU has since developed online resource tools for campuses and students. Learn more about SJSU’s efforts to address food and housing security online at sjsu.edu/sjsucares and sjsu.edu/food. If you have questions, please email economiccrisis@sjsu.edu.

 

November 2016 Newsletter: Video – Just In Time Pantry

On Nov. 14, San Jose State University students lined up in a queue that wrapped around the Event Center and ended near the newest residential building, Campus Village Building 2. The students were not lined up for a concert but were gathered for Second Harvest Food Bank’s Just In Time Pantry. Partnering with the nonprofit food bank, SJSU volunteers handed out more than 15,000 pounds of food to nearly 600 students through a mobile pantry that offered fresh foods and dry goods.

“If you’re hungry and you don’t know where your next meal is going to come from that’s, of course, going to impact your ability to concentrate in the classroom and prepare for midterms,” said Sharon Willey, the AVP for enrollment services.

The monthly mobile pantry for November received coverage by ABC7 News, who interviewed volunteers and students. To qualify for the pantry, students had to be enrolled full time and earn an annual income of less than $23,450.

In addition to Second Harvest Food Bank’s Just In Time Pantry, SJSU has a list of food resources for students, including on-campus pantries that are stocked with dry and canned goods. After SJSU’s Student Hunger Committee conducted a survey that revealed one in three students at SJSU experienced ongoing food insecurity, the committee worked with University Advancement to create SJSU’s Student Hunger Fund where donations can be made to support food resources. As part of its Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast, staff and administrators raised more than $11,000 for the fund in the last two years.

“Every donation will help our students focus on their studies instead of where they will get their next meal,” Feinstein said when announcing the total raised this year at the Oct. 31 breakfast. “Every dollar you donated will go directly to help our students meet basic needs.”

November newsletter: Academic division helps Food for Students fund

A volunteer stocks a student food shelf on campus. The Academic Affairs Division raised $7,000 for the SJSU Food for Students fund to support this and other efforts to help students with food insecurities.

A volunteer stocks a student food shelf on campus. The Academic Affairs Division raised $7,000 for the SJSU Food for Students fund to support this and other efforts to help students with food insecurities.

As part of the Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast each year, administrators and staff compete in a donation challenge to support members of the community who face food insecurity. Provost Andy Feinstein volunteers a half-day of work with the unit that brings in the most donations. This year, members of the division raised money for the SJSU Food for Students Fund to support students in need.

Provost Feinstein announced at the October breakfast that $7,000 had been donated by staff and administrators in the division. Staff and administrators from the Connie L. Lurie College of Education gave the highest dollar amount.

Food insecurity is a real issue at San Jose State. SJSU Associated Student President LooLoo Amante shared her story this summer about struggling when she first arrived on campus.

According to Tovah Feldmanstern, who works in Counseling and Psychological Services at SJSU, one in three SJSU students say that it is often or sometimes true that they were hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food and one in three SJSU students also say that it is often or sometimes true that they had to choose between food and living expenses such as rent, transportation or utilities.

Learn more about free and low-cost food sources on and off campus.

Support the Student Hunger Committee efforts

A volunteer stocks a Student Food Shelve at SJSU, where students with food insecurity can pick up canned and dry goods.

A volunteer stocks a Student Food Shelve at SJSU, where students with food insecurity can pick up canned and dry goods.
Photo by Muhamed Causevic

Food insecurity is a real issue at San Jose State. SJSU Associated Student President LooLoo Amante shared her story this summer about struggling when she first arrived on campus.

According to Tovah Feldmanstern, who works in Counseling and Psychological Services at SJSU, 1 in 3 SJSU students say that it is often or sometimes true that they were hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food and 1 in 3 SJSU students also say that it is often or sometimes true that they had to choose between food and living expenses such as rent, transportation or utilities.

To support students, the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast theme this year is “Full-Circling Giving.” Faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to make a donation to the SJSU Food for Students Fund.

To learn more about free and low-cost food sources on and off campus, visit sjsu.edu/food.

Faculty, staff and administrators can also volunteer to help with a variety of programs including food shelves, the breakfast club, the community garden or the Student Hunger Committee. They can also help by sharing information about the resources with students.

Food shelves

Food shelves are self-service and no registration is required of students. They are asked to complete an anonymous survey every time they use the pantry.

Where are they located?

ACCESS Center (Clark 240)

VITAL  Student Veterans (Clark 240)

Associated Students (1st Floor Fireside Room)

Business Success Center (BBC 008)

Career Center (Check-in area)

Child Development Center (460 S. 8th St.)

College of Science Advising (Duncan 213)

Counseling and Psychological Services CAPS (Wellness Center)

International Gateways (IS 227)

School of Social Work (WSQ Room 215)

Student Housing (Inquire with your RA)

Are you interested in having a food resource location in your department? Questions? Contact Elizabeth Agramont-Justiniano, Food Pantry Program Assistant, at elizabeth.agramont-justiniano@sjsu.edu or call (408)924-4125.

The Breakfast Club 

Breakfast is available in the form of bagels and pastries provided at Peer Connections in the Student Services Center, room 600 at the 9th St. Parking Garage Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Community Garden

Students can access fresh fruits and vegetables at the A.S. Community Garden located at 372 E. San Salvador, across from Joe West. Sign-up online at govoluntr.com/events/2049

Contact Mark Batcheler at mark.batcheler@sjsu.edu.

Brought to you by the Student Hunger Committee

Mission Statement:
To address food insecurity within our campus community, in efforts to empower SJSU students to succeed academically.

The committee is comprised of members from Associated Students, Counseling Services, current SJSU students, University Chapel, Financial Aid, Housing, Spartan Shops, Student Affairs, Student Health Center, and University Advancement.

Interested in joining? Contact Tova Feldmanstern at tova.feldmanstern@sjsu.edu

Academic Affairs raises money for Food for Students fund

The theme for the 2015 Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast is 'Full Circle Giving.'

The theme for the 2015 Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast is ‘Full Circle Giving.’

This fall, members of the Academic Affairs Division are raising money for the SJSU Food for Students Fund. The theme for the breakfast is “Full Circle Giving.” Each year, the colleges and departments within the division compete to see which group can collect the most resources in support of a food drive leading up to the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast. The winner of the competition will be announced at the Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast on Oct. 23, to which all staff within the division are invited. Visit the events page to see weekly totals for each college or department.

In a recent Student Affairs survey, nearly 12 percent of SJSU students reported they often had to skip a meal or cut the size of a meal because they did not have enough money. The SJSU Food for Students Fund supports a variety of resources for students including more than a dozen student food cupboards on campus where students can stop in to take items as needed. The fund also supports the Student Wellness Center in providing programs for students and connecting them with other resources off-campus that may help them.

For more on how the fund came into existence and to learn about the Student Hunger Committee, read a story on “Addressing Food Insecurity Among Students.”