{"id":60611,"date":"2026-02-16T14:49:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=60611"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:48:22","slug":"emu-receives-12k-grant-to-address-food-insecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/emu-receives-12k-grant-to-address-food-insecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU receives $12K grant to address food insecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Funds will expand capacity, enhance outreach for campus food pantry <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new $11,905 grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) will expand capacity at the EMU Free Food Room<\/a><\/strong> to meet sharply rising demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding will also provide enhanced outreach, better data tracking and reporting methods, and other improvements to the access and security of the campus food pantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Free Food Room?<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
The Free Food Room<\/strong>, located at the south end of Ammon Heatwole House II at 1110 Smith Ave., provides frozen meals, fresh produce, dry goods, canned items, and personal hygiene products for EMU students, faculty, and staff members in need. Operating hours for the space are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.\u00a0

The Free Food Room is a joint initiative coordinated by the Food Insecurity Task Force, SEEDS (student sustainability club), and Student Life.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rising demand<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
Frozen meals are available inside the freezer at the Free Food Room.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Data collected from a door counter at the Free Food Room indicates that demand has risen sharply over the past two years. Average monthly usage (August through May) was 256 visits in 2023-24 and 318 visits in 2024-25, and is projected to reach 630 visits in 2025-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of purchasing food has risen significantly to keep pace, increasing from $189 per month in 2023-24 to $263 in 2024-25, and is projected to reach $371 in 2025-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on utilization trends and observations, an estimated 25% of EMU undergraduates experience some level of food insecurity each year, wrote Jonathan Swartz<\/strong>, dean of students, in a grant application. \u201cGiven this data, our best estimate is that approximately 183 undergraduate students use the food pantry each year, most of them regularly,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is food insecurity?<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Food security<\/strong> refers to the level of access an individual has to a quantity of food sufficient to support healthy, everyday life. Food insecurity<\/strong> describes a reduction in access to a quantity of food and\/or food of a quality, variety, or desirability sufficient to support healthy, everyday life.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Partnerships and priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
A cooler inside the Free Food Room offers fresh produce such as carrots, mushrooms, and garlic.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Free Food Room has relied on the dedication of the Food Insecurity Task Force, a group led by EMU staff members Brian Martin Burkholder<\/strong>, Celeste Thomas<\/strong>, and Trina Trotter Nussbaum<\/strong>, as well as donations and community partnerships with the local food bank and area farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current funding sources are no longer sufficient to meet demand, underscoring the importance of grant support, Swartz wrote in the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who does the Free Food Room partner with?<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\u2022Blue Ridge Area Food Bank:<\/strong> Food coalition (free food items)
\u2022VMRC Farm at Willow Run:<\/strong> Produce donations (non-financial)
\u2022Vine & Fig:<\/strong> Grant coordination (collaborative grant project providing local produce)
\u2022Gift & Thrift:<\/strong> Local thrift store volunteers and staff (donated food and hygiene items)

\u201cThese partnerships help diversify available foods, but cannot fully meet the observed increase in demand,\u201d Swartz said.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Swartz said members of the task force submitted the application in mid-December, expecting to receive between $2,000 and $3,000 in funding. A month later, they learned they had been awarded $11,905.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Free Food Room has sustained itself but has had no significant budget, so any amount of money would\u2019ve helped us,\u201d Swartz said. \u201cWe\u2019re surprised and grateful to receive almost $12,000, which will help us more strategically increase the food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will the funds go toward?<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
According to the grant application, priorities include:<\/em>

1. Increased food supply<\/strong>
\u2022Cover rising costs of food purchasing.
\u2022Ensure adequate supply during high-demand periods.

2. Enhanced outreach<\/strong>
\u2022Develop greater impact signage, marketing materials, and orientation resources.
\u2022Target outreach to commuter, international, and first-generation students.

3. Data tracking & reporting<\/strong>
\u2022Implement systems to track pantry use, food weights, and student outcomes.
\u2022Improve capacity for future grant reporting and long-term planning.

4. Sustainability & infrastructure<\/strong>
\u2022Improvements to access and security of the space.  
\u2022Purchase additional reusable meal containers.
\u2022Improve washing and sanitation capacity.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keeping students ‘on track’<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
Grant funding will be used to purchase new shelving and storage for the Free Food Room, among other improvements.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

EMU\u2019s grant is among a total $500,000 awarded to 48 colleges and universities throughout Virginia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a SCHEV release<\/a>, Shenandoah Valley neighbors received the following funding: Mary Baldwin University, $14,882; Blue Ridge Community College, $11,905; Bridgewater College, $8,928; and James Madison University, $5,952.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grants allow institutions to establish on-campus food pantries or partner with local food banks to provide food at no charge to students, the release states. In addition, grant funds can be used to increase partnerships and build more sustainable solutions for campus hunger. Funding amounts are based on the percentage of in-state Federal Pell Grant-eligible students enrolled at the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore than 40% of college students experience food insecurity at some point, which can lead to several adverse outcomes, including dropping out of school. Virginia\u2019s investment in campus food pantries will help keep our students on track to reach their educational goals,\u201d said Scott Fleming, SCHEV\u2019s executive director, in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grants are funded by the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program<\/a><\/strong> enacted by the General Assembly in 2025. SCHEV published a report<\/a> on campus food insecurity in November 2024 that made several recommendations and offered resources for institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Funds will expand capacity, enhance outreach for campus food pantry  A new $11,905 grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) will expand capacity at the EMU ... read more about EMU receives $12K grant to address food insecurity<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":60612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5583,17562,4513,5708],"tags":[18218,5809,16275,18215,18219,18217,18216,11381,15122,7440,18818,18820,18819,17470,17565,17396],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-60611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","category-digest","category-student-life","category-sustainability","tag-blue-ridge-area-food-bank","tag-brian-martin-burkholder","tag-celeste-thomas","tag-faith-and-spiritual-life","tag-farm-at-willow-run","tag-food-insecurity","tag-free-food-room","tag-grants","tag-jonathan-swartz","tag-peace-and-justice","tag-schev","tag-seeds","tag-state-council-of-higher-education-for-virginia","tag-sustainable-food-initiative","tag-trina-trotter-nussbaum","tag-vmrc","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nEMU receives $12K grant to address food insecurity - 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