Pilot Program for Meal Plan Scholarships for Deserving Students at the University of Idaho A Grant Proposal to the

Latah County Community Foundation Submitted by the Vandal Food Pantry on April 25, 2014 A. Organizational Information Organization The Vandal Food Pantry project was created last spring through the ASUI Center for Volunteerism and Social Action in response to anecdotal evidence revealing deep food insecurities among both students and staff members. Food insecurity is defined as limited or questionable access to healthy and safe foods due to a lack of money and other resources. Food insecurity may be temporary or chronic, and it has been linked to depression, difficulty concentrating, and poor health. Mission Statement The Vandal Food Pantry believes that no one, regardless of financial situation or familial background, should have to worry about where they are going to get their next meal. Organizational Goals To begin a pilot program to award meal plan scholarships to university students To increase the distribution of food to those in need To raise awareness of the issues surrounding food insecurity To offer nutrition advice and financial counseling to clients Programs Current programs include the operation of a food pantry and a partnership with the Nutrition Club. The pantry is open every Thursday from 2 pm to 5 pm to distribute food. The Nutrition Club provides the volunteers needed while the pantry provides the opportunity to fulfill the requirements for volunteer hours working with the community. Although the pantry is currently serving a limited number of clients, a greater awareness and presence in our community is a key organizational goal. Collaborations The pantry collaborates with many other organizations both on and off campus. Key Staff members are solidifying partnerships with the nondenominational Campus Christian Center, Trio, Student Services, and the Womens Center to increase food distribution. The pantry has reserved sections in these locations to make it easier for those in need to pick up food. Off campus, the pantry has a relationship with the Idaho Food Bank to exchange needed foods and insure that dated foods reach clients before expiration. Strengths Although the priorities are students and staff, no one is turned away. It is this connection to both the university and the surrounding community that highlights one of Vandal Food Pantry Page 1

Pilot Program for Meal Plan Scholarships for Deserving Students at the University of Idaho A Grant Proposal to the Latah County Community Foundation the greatest strengths of the pantry. Food donations are received from many sources. Food drives from the recreation center, the residence halls, and even the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis concert drive last year help maintain a diverse selection of pantry items. The pantry is concerned with food allergies and/or restrictions and is working toward providing personal hygiene products as well. The staff cares deeply about the quality of the services provided. The goal is to provide nourishment, not simply fill bellies with empty calories. Outreach efforts are equally important to the organization. The pantry will do whatever is necessary to get the food to where its needed. Whether that means leaving a bag where a student can more easily pick it up or driving food out to Syringa Mobile Home Park, the pantry is committed to meeting community need. These strengths are what make the pantry unique and have served to carve out a niche in this community where the pantry endeavors to improve the quality of life in Latah County through donations, awareness, and service. B. Purpose The problem being addressed in this grant proposal is food insecurity on campus. According to a report out of Oregon State University, the prevalence of food insecurity among college students attending mid size rural universities is particularly high. This report identified 59% of the student population, four times the national average of 15%, as food insecure. Food insecurity has documented physical, academic, and psychological effects. Food insecure students are much less likely to have a GPA of 3.1 or higher. The rapidly increasing cost of higher education has exacerbated the issue. More and more student dollars have to go toward tuition, books, housing, and medical insurance. Oftentimes there is not enough money left over to purchase an adequate amount of nutritious foods. Specific Activities The pantry is requesting funds to begin a pilot program to award meal plan scholarships to students at the University of Idaho with demonstrated financial need. With a grant of $3000, the pantry would be able to purchase three Idaho Freedom meal plans consisting of 50 block meals plus an additional $250 flex dollars (dollars that can be used to purchase items at any campus dining facility including the Traders store) and award two partial meal plan scholarships of $450 each to assist on campus students required to purchase a meal plan as part of a housing contract. This will take a great deal of pressure off the selected students for the entire semester. Through the selection process, the need at the university can be better assessed. How many students apply will be an indicator of how many food insecure students are currently enrolled at the university. This pilot program will provide solid statistics on student need, statistics that will be indispensable moving forward.

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Pilot Program for Meal Plan Scholarships for Deserving Students at the University of Idaho A Grant Proposal to the Latah County Community Foundation Project Goals To assist the selected students with meal plan scholarships To assess the current student need on the Moscow campus To increase the pantrys clientele through greater awareness of the pantry and its services To raise awareness, both on and off campus, about the issue of food insecurity

Project Timeline Advertising for the meal plan scholarships and application materials will be available shortly after the grant is received. Collection and review of the student applications will continue throughout the summer. The student applications will be cross referenced with financial aid records. A system has been developed assessing student need based on their financial aid profile. The recipients will be selected by August 11, 2014. The program will be run by the coordinator of the Vandal Food Pantry, Ms. Natalie Magnus, with the assistance of the student outreach coordinators. They will advertise the meal plan scholarships with details about the application process. Once all of the applications are received, they will be cross checked with financial aid records. The top five students with the most demonstrated need will be awarded the scholarships. Community Benefit and Impact In addition to the benefit to the five students, the program will raise awareness on and off campus concerning the growing issue of food insecurity. Advertising throughout the campus and flyers distributed where students congregate will inform university students of this opportunity. Selected articles about the Vandal Food Pantry and the meal plan scholarships in the university newspaper, The Argonaut, will reach the majority of Moscow residents as the paper is delivered to most local businesses. This will create much more awareness of the pantry and the services provided. Moscow has a very high percentage, about 30%, of people living below the poverty line. And 16% of our community is living at below half of the poverty line. The pantry is a viable option for those in need, and a concrete assessment of that need is imperative for the programs success. Long term Strategies The pantry will be seeking funding from the Idaho Food Bank Fund this summer to sustain this program for the full academic year. C. Evaluations Measuring Effectiveness

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Pilot Program for Meal Plan Scholarships for Deserving Students at the University of Idaho A Grant Proposal to the Latah County Community Foundation Program effectiveness will be measured by the number of applications received for the meal plan scholarships. The information gathered in the application process will be used to determine the level of need at the university. If dozens of students apply for only five meal plan scholarships, then these numbers exhibit strong evidence that support the continuation of the program and attempts for further funding. The scholarship applicants will also offered the opportunity to complete an anonymous survey card in order to obtain demographic information. The survey will also ask which advertising strategy was successful in reaching the student. Criteria We will measure the programs success based on the following criteria: Over fifty students submit applications for a meal plan scholarship Tangible evidence of student need is obtained Evaluation Staff The survey cards will be analyzed by the Program Coordinator, Natalie Magnus. She will use the applications and survey responses to evaluate the programs success. Improving the Program The student responses will be analyzed for commonality. The pantry will be able to tell which method of advertising reached the most students, so that method can be greater utilized in upcoming semesters. With the demographic information, the program can be improved to better fit the applicants.

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Pilot Program for Meal Plan Scholarships for Deserving Students at the University of Idaho A Grant Proposal to the Latah County Community Foundation

Program Budget The pantry is requesting $3000 to purchase three Idaho Freedom meal plans and award two $450 meal plan scholarships to deserving students at the university. Idaho Freedom Meal Plan Scholarships Partial Meal Plan Scholarships (3) (700) = $2100 (2) (450) = $ 900

$3000 Total Project Budget Annual Project budget for the Vandal Food Pantry $1200

In-Kind Contributions Volunteers 15 volunteers weekly at $7.50/hour (Many more can be called upon for special programs) Total: Key Staff Coordinator Natalie Magnus Ms. Magnus has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish as well as a Masters of Science in Education: Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education. She was a Graduate Assistant in the Leadership and Involvement Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. There she oversaw a campus food pantry and supervised 5 student staff who worked for the food pantry. She coordinated with student organizations and community partners to take in food donations, collaborated with the Wisconsin Food Bank to assist in supplying food, and provided a market style pantry for the faculty, staff, and student population of UW-La Crosse. During her two years of employment at UW-La Crosse, she was committed to outreach and publicity as the UWL food pantry became a model for many other university pantries as it was started in 2007. The pantry served approximately 800 visits per semester. She began employment with the University of Idaho in October of 2013. Vandal Food Pantry Page 5 $5850 $7050