Concordia College Food Pantry Annual Report 2023-24

COBBER

FOOD PANTRY FOOD PANTRY

ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24

Red River Market Field Trips

Students enjoyed field trips to the Red River Market as an effort to get fresh, local produce into their hands. They also were able to enjoy the vibrant downtown Fargo community!

AmeriCorps VISTA Year 2: Parker Erickson

Parker Erickson ’22 started in August 2023 as this year’s VISTA basic needs coordinator, as part of the three-year AmeriCorps VISTA award. He started many new initiatives with a focus on building capacity, including the Winter Break Food Box Program, which distributed 86 boxes of food to students who stayed on campus over the three week winter break. The extra items supplemented the students’ grocery budgets and offered an alternative when transportation wasn’t available.

“For other students staying on campus, winter break can be an isolating experience. To help counteract hunger, I decided to provide food support once a week, over all three weeks of break. Overall, the feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive and appreciative that this took place on campus.”

– Parker Erickson, VISTA Basic Needs Coordinator

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Looking ahead to 2024-25 (the last year of the VISTA award), initiatives will include:

• Ensuring a smooth transition of the Cobber Pantry from its current physical location to the Center for Holistic Health

• Enhancing the partnership with the campus dietician to assist in the development of rotating recipes for the food pantry

• Streamlining the food pantry check-in process by working with IT to implement campus ID swipe technology

• Assisting in the launch and promotion of TimelyCare on campus

• Assisting in the development of satisfaction and evaluation strategies and opportunities for all basic needs student support services

YEAR AT A GLANCE

10,543 lbs. of food distributed to students

100 volunteer hours

$28,995 financial contributions

235 students served (265 served in 2022-23)

1,440 visits by those students (1,167 visits in 2022-23)

Race Demographics

Gender Identity 25% of all food pantry users self-identify as LGBTQIA+

Year in School

Socioeconomic

pantry users self-identify with at least one measure of low socio-economic status

Staff Member Spotlight

Gillian Lee ’25, Ramsey, Minnesota Math Education Major Food Pantry Intake Assistant

Additional funding enabled the food pantry to increase student staff by adding another position. Lee’s work in the food pantry focused on improving intake processes which include accessing food rescue, grocery store orders, and in-person shopping at the Great Plains Food Bank. Lee’s background includes working at an elementary school over the summer, where she learned more about food insecurity, food waste, and the free and reduced lunch benefits for K-12 students.

NEW LOCATION

Concordia staff are actively working to move all basic needs support for students to the Center for Holistic Health, located in Old Main. As capacity has grown over the years, providing students with a one-stop shop will be invaluable to their experience. The Center for Holistic Health includes counseling, disability services, health services and by the end of summer 2024, basic needs and health promotion services. The new space in Old Main for the food pantry is twice the size of the current one!

WINTER BREAK FOOD SUPPORT BOX PROGRAM

A major initiative this year was expanding the Winter Break Food Support to extend over all three weeks of winter break. Students who stayed could opt in to receiving fresh groceries that helped sustain them over the long break. The extra items rounded out the students’ grocery budgets and filled a gap in getting to the store when transportation was not available. Eighty-six food boxes were distributed.

COLLABORATION WITH GREAT PLAINS FOOD BANK

For the second year in a row, Concordia sponsored the Hunger and Health Summit, a local conference dedicated to food systems. Staff from Concordia attended the Summit as well as other professional development organized by the Great Plains Food Bank including a cultural sensitivity food training.

FREEZER

A new upright freezer was added to the pantry, significantly expanding storage capacity for frozen goods. This addition has allowed staff to stock more options, focusing on nutritious food and culturally sensitive food the Great Plains Food Bank provides to pantries.

UBER TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENT HEALTH NEEDS

Concordia introduced an Uber transportation option to facilitate students’ access to essential healthcare services. This initiative addresses the challenge many students face in reaching medical facilities due to transportation barriers. For instance, a student experiencing a sudden medical issue, such as an injury or illness, may find it difficult to secure timely transportation to a clinic or hospital. By partnering with Uber, all students have a reliable means of reaching necessary medical appointments, promoting their wellbeing and ensuring they receive timely care when needed.

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

With a new grant from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, plus donor funds, students now have access to more emergency financial assistance. Eligible expenses include but are not limited to: rent, utility expenses, transportation, food/nutrition, childcare, and/ or healthcare related needs. Students may apply once per academic term and the EAPS Review Committee works to quickly connect students to the financial resources to overcome the emergency and succeed academically. Grant dollars received total $150,000.

“I cannot even express how thankful I am for this help, thank you so very much! Fixing my car will be a huge help now that I will be starting clinicals and trying to figure out how to find work for the rest of the semester and the summer.”

— Quote from a student who received a grant

WINTER CLOTHING DRIVE

The winter clothing drive was started in 2018 by the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commission. This year the winter clothing drive got 285 items into the hands of students looking to be ready for whatever winter in the Red River Valley had in store. Gloves, hats, boots, coats, and long underwear were donated by employees, students, and community members. Student leaders and the VISTA Basic Needs Coordinator made the event fun and lively, allowing students to take what they needed and stay warm all winter.

CELL PHONE SUPPORT PROGRAM

Thanks to a dedicated donor, a creative support system was put in place to help provide basic cell phone service to new International students. When balancing finances, students were choosing cell phone plans with no data, which meant they were at times without service when not connected to WiFi. Global Learning staff helped connect students in need to this resource.

In Spring 2024, Concordia was the host site for the Great Plains Food Bank Regional Convening.