New Committee Strives to Eliminate Food Insecurity

Reducing food waste at dining halls is a positive step towards ending food insecurity. Source: Owen Ray '26

A newly-formed Marist Food Insecurity Committee has been built to fix food insecurity on campus. The committee will be led by Presidential Fellow Mark Palmer, and has been formed at a crucial time in a national battle. 

The USDA defines food insecurity as insufficient access to food that is severe enough to impact eating patterns. This is a problem that many people might not think about given that the United States is a first-world country, where hunger is not considered a challenge that lies at the forefront of our national identity. Over 34 million people were affected by food insecurity in the United States in 2021.

“National trends in higher education show food insecurity to be a growing issue amongst college students,” said Palmer, “and Marist is not immune to these trends,” said Palmer.

Many students might not be aware of the presence of food insecurity on campus, which is also not uncommon. According to Feeding America, the main cause of food insecurity is economic instability, which is a difficult issue to talk about. This is a factor that the committee is taking aim at. 

“The committee aims to break the stigma of food insecurity, as well as imbed solutions into the fabric of the Marist campus community” said Palmer. 

Social stigmatism of food insecurity forces people into a cycle of hunger. However, the committee will push to speak on the issue first hand. Another action that Marist students can take is utilizing the Swipe It Forward meal donation program. 

Swipe It Forward allows students to donate any amount of meal swipes so that they can be redistributed to students in need. The program assists students in reaching food security without a financial burden. 

Lastly, students can also mind their food waste, both at the dining hall and at residence halls, in order to make more food available for the campus community, and ultimately eliminate food insecurity at Marist. 

“Education on this topic to Marist students, faculty and staff is an important first step to achieve this goal.”