If you’re a student that’s struggling to cover food costs, you should know that there’s a large variety of ways to get help available on campus. One of the quickest and easiest options would be Swipe Out Hunger, a national food aid program currently being run here on LBCC’s main campus.
According to Lawrence LaJoie, the Director of Enterprise Services at LBCC, the program normally works by taking funds from a campus’ meal plan program and using them to cover food cards to be handed out to students in need. LaJoie came up with the idea of funding the program using the “rounding up” donation that you may have seen at food vendors throughout the campus.
Already the program has raised more than $1,500 from rounding up and other donations, LaJoie noted.
The biggest difficulty the program faced early on was its original distribution method; at first, students needed to submit a Google form, which would send a notification to four different people for confirmation. The problem with this method, according to LaJoie, was that these four people often weren’t able to respond to the notifications fast enough. As the purpose of the program is to provide students with a little extra money for a quick meal, LaJoie and others spent the rest of last Fall term coming up with a better method.
The new one they ultimately came up with is both simple and accessible: Simply go to the First Resort desk in the Learning Center and ask for a food card. After filling out a short form, you’ll receive a $10 card valid at any food vendor on campus as well as contact information for other food aid programs.
Abby Grewatz is the First Resort Coordinator in charge of distributing the Swipe Out Hunger food cards.
“I think there are a lot of students here on campus who are experiencing food insecurity,” said Grewatz. “Sometimes it feels like there aren’t a lot of things that we can do to help with that.”
Few people go to the Learning Center intending on asking for a food card, Grewatz said. Often times she’ll offer it to someone if it sounds like they might need it, when they say things like they haven’t had the chance to get lunch, or that they don’t have the money for it that day.
First and foremost, she wants people to feel comfortable with coming in and asking for it, elaborating on how easy the application process is. “We don’t ask questions here,” she said. “If someone comes in to ask for a food card we’re not going to quiz them on anything, we’re not going to interrogate them on anything. If they need a card, we give them a card.”
Grewatz also expanded on how the application process works. The form is a small sheet of paper, on which a person writes their name, the date, and their X-number (this information is only used to keep track of how many people have used the program). After completing the form, students are given an envelope that contains the card and contact information for the other aid programs.
Grewatz felt that giving students information about the other available programs was even more important than giving them the food cards. When asked if students could apply for the food card multiple times a term, she said yes, but also said that if a person’s food needs are enough to require it then they should strongly consider looking into some of the other programs.
One of these options is called the Linn-Benton Lunch Box. Run by the Student Leadership Council, students can go through a simple application process at the Student Union office, located in F 120 at the northeast end of the courtyard, and pick up a certain amount of groceries depending on how many people live in their household. This program is currently available for students to use twice a year.
The other option that both LaJoie and Grewatz had a lot to say about was food stamps, otherwise known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which is a valuable resource that too few students on campus make use of. According to LaJoie, applying for food stamps carries certain stigmas with students. He believes students in need of money for food should feel free to seek out anything that might help them.
“They think that them accepting those types of benefits prevents somebody else from getting them, but that’s not true,” he said. “If you’re eligible, you’re eligible; you’re not preventing anyone else from getting those benefits. You’re entitled to them if you meet the criteria.”
He also spoke about how eligibility for college students works, saying, “It used to be tied directly to work requirements. It still is, but there’s still an easier way for students to become SNAP-eligible without work requirements. If they’re a [current] student, they’re pursuing a degree, and they don’t live with their parents, it’s much easier for them to become eligible for SNAP benefits.”
At a Glance:
Swipe Out Hunger: Provides a $10 meal card for students facing food insecurity
Where Students Go for Help: Learning Center, for the Swipe Out Hunger card; The SLC office, for the LB Lunchbox; Amanda Stanley for advice and information on other options.
Contact: Abby Grewatz, First Resort Center, grewata@linnbenton.edu
How to Donate: At all food vendors on campus,ask to round your purchase up to the nearest dollar. The cashier will ask if you want to round with cash purchases. If you want to donate with a card purchase, you’ll need to specify that you do BEFORE inserting your card.
SNAP/Food Stamps website:
www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program
