A booth is set up outside St. Thomas’ dining hall The View for guest swipe donations. The booth will be open through October 7. (Noah Hanlon/TommieMedia)
From Sept. 23 to Oct. 7, students can donate their guest passes to help St. Thomas students facing food insecurity. This is a new program that is designed for students to help fellow Tommies.
A booth has been set up outside The View where students with meal plans can donate up to three of their guest passes to a virtual food bank managed by the Dean of Students Office. Students interested in donating can swipe their Tommie Card at the booth and choose how many guest swipes to donate, according to Mitchell Karstens, associate vice president of auxiliary services.
“St. Thomas students who are experiencing food insecurity can come to the Dean of Students office, either in person or online, explaining their circumstances and letting us know what would be helpful for them in terms of the length of time they’re asking for meals,” Dean of Students Linda Baughman explained.
Students who are experiencing food insecurity can also apply to the program through an online form.
Once an applicant is in the program through the Dean of Students office, donated meals will be added to their Tommie Card. The meals will work at all dining halls and there will be no difference from a normal meal plan. Students in the program will be able to use swipes at The View, Binz, and Scooters.
Food insecurity at St. Thomas is much more prevalent than many think, according to Baughman and Karstens.
“We had a student who did a survey for a class on food insecurity, and she came forward to say that this is a bigger issue than people realize,” Baughman said.
“Most of these (food insecurity) issues stem from financial issues,” Baughman continued. “They’ll come to us and we’ll learn that maybe they’re about to lose their housing, or they’re not getting enough to eat. Those are basic needs, and so we really want to work with students and help them navigate these barriers.”
Both Baughman and Karstens are happy that the idea for the program was influenced by input from students wanting to help their peers. The dining services advisory group, made up of St. Thomas students, noticed meals going to waste and that there was a need from others.
“I really like the program because it’s students helping students and we’re able to connect those pieces together. I think it’s a great opportunity to do some good for one another,” Karstens said.
Noah Hanlon can be reached at Nphanlon@stthomas.edu.