Food for Change Market Serves Student Success

Tackling Food Insecurities Head On

By Sheryl E. Taylor

In November 2017—not long after the epic landfall of Hurricane Harvey—the UHD Food for Change Market opened its doors in hopes of addressing ‘the invisible epidemic’ of food insecurities taking hold of college students across the U.S.

“It was necessary to change our approach to reach more students,” said Tremaine W. Kwasikpui, Director of Student Activities and UHD Staff Council President. “We quickly realized it’s not just a ‘needbased’ market, it’s a UHD-based market. When you become a UHD student, we want our students to know that it’s a resource for you.”

The Food for Change Program provides currently enrolled students access to fresh produce, meats, and other groceries in the market. The beauty of this program is that no payment is required when shopping in the market, which allows students to save money for other necessities and maintain their academic progress while balancing personal responsibilities.

Two years after the soft opening of the market in 2017, Dr. Lea Campbell, Executive Director of Assessment & Accreditation in UHD’s Office of Institutional Assessment, conducted an assessment on the

Market, “Analysis of Food Market Users & Academic Success Spring 2019,” followed by a survey in 2021. “Assessment is important because we wanted to document that students are using the food market and the positive impact it has had on our students’ sense of financial security and academic success. We want our students focused on learning and not worrying about where their next meal will come from,” Campbell added.

Since the beginning, UHD’s collaboration with the Houston Food Bank (HFB) has enabled the market to touch the lives of many students. From 2019 through 2022, the awardwinning Food for Change Market has provided food to students via 14,600 visits. As one of the first student food markets in the nation, the program began by offering food scholarships, sponsored by the Houston Food Bank and available to all Gator students.

The student’s original weekly allocation of 30 pounds of food was increased to up to 40 pounds thanks to the market’s success. The campus footprint of the market has increased from 290 to 555 square feet. The Houston Food Bank has now increased its weekly donations to 10,000 pounds, including a variety of items from baby food to waffle makers—even cell phones.

“To grow from a pilot project to sustaining the Food for Change Market over five years is amazing,” said Kwasikpui. “Here’s to the next five years! I am excited to see what’s in store for the UHD Food for Change Market.”