HUMAN NUTRITION LEADS BATTLE AGAINST

FOOD INSECURITY

When First Lady Alison Hynd moved to New York for her first job, she had 12 cents in her bank account to cover her food needs for the next three weeks.

“While I was fortunate enough to have red beans and rice to eat – foods that would last over time and fill me up – I know what it means to be food insecure,” she said. “I sold plasma in grad school because, believe it or not, that $10 made a huge difference even though I had an assistantship.

“This is a reality for some of our students. As a parent and fellow human being, that obviously bothers me.”

In fall 2019, Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice surveyed nearly 167,000 stu- dents nationwide asking if they had experienced food insecurity within the last 30 days.

Nearly 40 percent said yes.

Food insecurity – typically defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns due to lack of money and other resources – has not been a new issue for college students globally, but the COVID-19 pandemic has exac- erbated it.

Winthrop’s Department of Human Nutrition has cre- atively and bravely combated campus food insecurity in several different ways, most recently with its weekly farmer’s market.

Farmer’s Market

Human nutrition faculty and staff roll out the red carpet – or rather, the wooden cart! – almost every Wednesday around noon on Scholars Walk. The produce changes each week, depending on what bounty the community

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FALL 2021

HUMAN NUTRITION LEADS BATTLE AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY “Most food pantries aren’t well-equipped to deliver

nutrient-dense produce and refrigerated products that often support overall health, but also gut health.”

-Jessie Hoffman, assistant professor of human nutrition

that serve as a source of prebiot- ics…We’re really packing a one-two punch for gut health and overall health.”

Jessie Hoffman, left, and Ashley Licata, assistant professors of human nutrition, showed off the offerings at the weekly farmer’s market the Department of Human Nutrition hosts each week.

garden has to offer: tomatoes ranging in color from a luscious red to a sunburst yellow; spicy jalapeños; bunches of sage and rosemary; butternut squash; and much more.

Perhaps the best part? It’s all free.

The Food Box In addition to the farmer’s market, the garden’s produce will also help supply The Food Box, the food pantry the department established in 2020. Located in 308 Dalton Hall, The Food Box collects donations of food items and some personal care items.

People can anonymously make appointments to select as many items as they need from The Food Box.

“Most food pantries aren’t well-equipped to deliver nutrient-dense produce and refrigerated products that often support overall health, but also gut health,” explained Jessie Hoffman, assistant professor of human nutrition. “By bridging our garden and our food pantry, we’re able to offer fresh produce, fruits and vegetables

First Lady Alison Hynd and Interim President George Hynd helped purchase a refrigerator for The Food Box so that it could collect even more items earlier this year. The couple also has regularly donated to The Food Box.

Community Garden Earlier this semester, the depart- ment was a finalist in the siggi’s starters program, which aims to help nutrition professionals implement a community nutrition program.

Interim President George Hynd and First Lady Alison Hynd stopped by The Food Box to donate food items. From left: President Hynd; Alexa Allen, human nutrition instructor; Wanda Kosziewski, human nutrition chair; and Alison Hynd.

The proposal, “Fueled to Flourish: A Community Garden Initiative to Promote Health and Success,” promised to offer the Winthrop campus community more opportunities for nutrition and education. Ashley Licata, assistant profes- sor of human nutrition, helped author the proposal and explained the goals: “We planned to establish a com- munity nutrition education garden that would provide opportunities for students and community members to learn about gardening. It would also provide fresh pro- duce for our newly established food pantry.”

Unfortunately, Winthrop did not win the final prize, but there is still good news.

“We received some donations from the community and were able to start building our WU Student Nutrition Education Garden,” Licata said. “We have six raised garden beds planted with fall crops.”

The garden is located just off of Constitution Boulevard, adjacent to the city of Rock Hill’s Educational Communi- ty Garden.

Want to Help? Donate to The Food Box! 1. Drop off items outside of the department’s main office at 302 Dalton Hall. 2. The Food Box can accept monetary donations via the Winthrop Foundation: www.winthrop.edu/give. Select ‘Other’ in the dropdown box and enter ‘Fund 2032’ for the gift designation. All donations are tax deductible.

For more information, visit www.winthrop.edu/cas/nutrition.

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