A new $11,905 grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) will expand capacity at the 91短视频 Free Food Room to meet sharply rising demand. 

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.

Rising demand

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.

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.

Based on utilization trends and observations, an estimated 25% of 91短视频 undergraduates experience some level of food insecurity each year, wrote Jonathan Swartz, dean of students, in a grant application. 鈥淕iven this data, our best estimate is that approximately 183 undergraduate students use the food pantry each year, most of them regularly,鈥� he wrote.

Partnerships and priorities

The Free Food Room has relied on the dedication of the Food Insecurity Task Force, a group led by 91短视频 staff members Brian Martin Burkholder, Celeste Thomas, and Trina Trotter Nussbaum, as well as donations and community partnerships with the local food bank and area farms.

Current funding sources are no longer sufficient to meet demand, underscoring the importance of grant support, Swartz wrote in the application.

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.

鈥淭he Free Food Room has sustained itself but has had no significant budget, so any amount of money would鈥檝e helped us,鈥� Swartz said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e surprised and grateful to receive almost $12,000, which will help us more strategically increase the food supply.鈥�

Keeping students ‘on track’

91短视频鈥檚 grant is among a total $500,000 awarded to 48 colleges and universities throughout Virginia. 

According to 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.

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.

鈥淢ore than 40% of college students experience food insecurity at some point, which can lead to several adverse outcomes, including dropping out of school. Virginia鈥檚 investment in campus food pantries will help keep our students on track to reach their educational goals,鈥� said Scott Fleming, SCHEV鈥檚 executive director, in the release.

The grants are funded by the enacted by the General Assembly in 2025. SCHEV published a on campus food insecurity in November 2024 that made several recommendations and offered resources for institutions.

The Free Food Room is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to 91短视频 students and employees in need. It is also an unsupervised space so that people can take what they need anonymously and with dignity. 

But times are tough, demand is high, and funding is scant. The organizers behind the Free Food Room initiative, which relies on donations to continue operating, say that it stays afloat 鈥渙n a wing and a prayer.鈥� And, they say that without more financial support, it won鈥檛 have enough funding to operate after this semester. 

With your help, you can contribute to keeping this invaluable resource alive. Make a gift to the Free Food Room fund, and ensure it will continue serving those in our campus community who experience food insecurity.

Donations of nonperishable food can be left inside the Free Food Room. People can also donate gift cards that will be used at grocery stores. 

The Free Food Room is a joint initiative of the Food Insecurity Task Force鈥攁 group comprising 91短视频 staff members Brian Martin Burkholder, Celeste Thomas and Trina Trotter Nussbaum鈥攁nd the Sustainable Food Initiative (SFI). Members of the task force collect donations, write grant requests, order monthly deliveries through their partnership with the (at discounted pricing), pay bills, and send emails about fresh fruits and vegetables when they arrive. 

The resource is a collaborative effort between various groups on campus. Work-study students through the Black Student Alliance and the Office of Faith and Spiritual Life sweep the floor, unload deliveries, restock shelves and check inventory. Students from SFI stock the freezer with meals from the dining hall and supply the room with fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from 91短视频 gardens. A list of the items grown on campus, dated from August, noted: Roma and Big Beef tomatoes, Swiss chard, figs, jalapenos, and bell and banana peppers.

Last year an agreement with Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community鈥檚 , just down the road on Harmony Drive, provided the Free Food Room with any produce that didn鈥檛 sell at its farm stand. Members of the task force anticipate partnering with VMRC鈥檚 USDA organic-certified farm again if possible.

The Free Food Room could use all the help it can get. According to data shared by task force organizers, its busiest month over the last school year, February 2024, saw 346 visitors (a sensor inside the room keeps a tally). Organizers spent $535 to order 1,110 pounds of food from the food bank that month.

Identifying a need

Food insecurity is an epidemic afflicting college campuses nationwide and 91短视频 is no exception. A federal analysis released in July estimated that 23% of college students in 2020, or about 3.8 million students, experienced food insecurity.

From a Sept. 9 article on :

鈥淭he report again shed light on what previous analysis of federal data have shown鈥攖hat a large share of students struggle to put food on the table. The study reported that about 2.2 million of those 3.8 million students had low food security, or ate less than they should or skipped meals altogether.鈥�

Prior to having its own space on campus, food assistance was funded through the Faith and Spiritual Life Compassion Fund, which helps students with emergency needs, and supported by Y-Serve food drives held twice a year. But the grassroots initiative was often disjointed and lacked a central system in place.

In 2018, after reading an in The Washington Post about the widespread hunger problem on campuses, a group at 91短视频 was spurred to action. The group identified food insecurity as a major need to address and began putting together the pieces that would eventually become the Free Food Room. In 2022, after years of talks and meetings, the Free Food Room began operating out of its current space in the Heatwole House. Organizers were approved for membership at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank near the end of that year. The task force pays a yearly $50 membership fee, which is covered by Y-Serve.

The Free Food Room aligns with 91短视频鈥檚 2023-28 strategic plan, Pathways of Promise: Preparing Tomorrow鈥檚 Unifying Leaders, and its vision to open new pathways of access and achievement. As 91短视频 continues to live into its commitment to belonging鈥攖his year marked the most diverse incoming class in school history鈥攁nd provide access to more students in financial need, the task force aims to take a proactive approach to securing funding to sustain its services.

The Free Food Room experiences higher periods of need during school breaks when the dining hall is closed and cannot supply the pantry with frozen meals. Nussbaum said graduate and international students are among those most susceptible to food insecurity in the 91短视频 community. Many of them are far from home, have families to feed, and lack their own transportation.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 often think about college students as being needy, whether in terms of food or shelter,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e attending to a need that might not be universally known.鈥�

A more welcoming space

This summer the Free Food Room received some much-needed updates. A grant from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank was used to purchase a new two-door freezer, three-door cooler and shelving. The new appliances and shelves help create a more welcoming space, drawing in more visitors, and can store much more food than before.  

鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful for this grant,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l now be able to accommodate larger orders from the food bank.鈥�

鈥淚t makes a huge difference,鈥� Nussbaum said.

The organizers say they have some ideas for future grant requests, which might include funding for hygiene products and signage.

For more information about the Free Food Room and ways to help out, contact: brian.burkholder@emu.edu, celeste.thomas@emu.edu, or trina.nussbaum@emu.edu

鈥淲e have a great administration and staff doing a lot of great sustainability work, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for good ideas for sustainable improvement to sprout, especially from the student body,鈥� Horst said. 鈥淭he mini-grant competition really lives up to the spirit of organic grass-roots growth that we are modeling here. Sometimes, we don’t need a heavy document or big announcement to make our campus more sustainable.鈥�

This year鈥檚 winners admirably fit the bill: an exercise bike that feeds volts back into 91短视频鈥檚 , drip irrigation and hoop house聽 materials in the that contribute to better efficiency and productivity, and a filtered water station to increase use of non-disposable bottles.

Judges looked for projects that are creative, long-term and visible and have strong educational benefit and community collaboration, Horst said. Sustainability Coordinator and Professor Tara joined Horst in judging the six proposals from students, faculty, and staff members.

The sustainable stationary bike project, which was given $250, came about through such collaboration. Hannah Chappell-Dick and Rachel Sturm, representing Student Athletic Advisory Committee, contacted Ben Zook, with Engineers for a Sustainable World, about entering in an application for the sustainability grant.

鈥淭hey needed someone to build the project and we were happy to volunteer,鈥� Zook said, adding that the bike will be built in the fall.

One possible attraction for athletes who ride the bike for conditioning purposes is a display that 鈥渨ill show how much energy you are pumping back into the grid as you pedal,鈥� Zook said. 鈥淭here will also be a comparison meter to show the energy compared to a car, or a horse.鈥�

members were pleased to hear they鈥檇 been awarded a $500 mini-grant that will increase productivity and efficiency of their , said Josh Nyce, garden coordinator. SFI has one garden on drip, but now plans to install a drip system for the remaining two gardens, as well as increase production space in the hoop house.

鈥淭his type of irrigation will make our whole operation more efficient, improve our production and yield, and allow us spend more time on other tasks and projects to hopefully grow SFI,鈥� he said. 鈥淲atering in the hoop house will be so much easier, and will extend our growing season to provide us with fresh vegetables all year long at the SFI produce stand.鈥�

As for the bottle filling station, library director says she sees these 鈥渆verywhere.鈥�

The $250 grant will pay for a spigot on the first-floor water fountain to allow for easier filling of bottles, as well as a filtering station on the main floor.

Engineers for a Sustainable World, referred to by its members as ESW, is only a year old, and though it has already achieved significant results, still has not been heard of by the majority of the 91短视频 population.

ESW is a national organization with chapters at approximately 40 universities across the country, with the only Virginia chapter located here at 91短视频.

Esther Tian, assistant professor of engineering, started the organization her first year here in hopes of stimulating sustainable projects on campus.

鈥淚 thought [ESW] was a really good fit with the mission of the university,鈥� said Tian, who is excited with the inaugural successes of ESW.

Last winter, the club drew up plans for its first project ever: a new greenhouse for 91短视频鈥檚 Sustainable Food Initiative.

鈥淲e wanted to build a low-budget greenhouse with the materials we had on hand,鈥� said junior Jordan Leaman, student president of ESW and a computer science major. 鈥淭o make it more sustainable, we designed it to be completely solar-powered.鈥�

In a continued collaboration of 91短视频 initiatives, EarthKeepers helped to fund the building of the greenhouse, which cost about $600.

Leaman, along with five other students, completed the building project in one impressive eight-hour workday in March.

In addition, ESW used the greenhouse project design to win second place in the undergraduate division of the American Society for Engineering Education regional competition last spring.

Leaman and a team of three others designed an informative poster detailing the structure and aerodynamics of the project.

Under the guidance of Tian and Leaman, ESW has several projects in the works for their second year, including a solar panel canopy to assist in charging the physical plant鈥檚 golf carts.

鈥淭here are so many possibilities with solar,鈥� said Leaman, 鈥渂ut right now, we鈥檙e doing what we can with the limited resources we have.鈥�

In defining ESW, both Tian and Leaman emphasized the discovery of workable solutions to everyday problems.

鈥淥ur projects benefit the university and the community,鈥� said Tian proudly. 鈥淥ur club is a little different because we plan projects instead of activities.鈥�

First-year student Isaiah Williams enjoys the practicality and project-based orientation of the club. 鈥淚t allows me to utilize what I learned in engineering class and apply it to real life scenarios,鈥� he said.

Like Williams, most members of ESW are students in the pre-engineering program. Others, like Leaman, found their interests sparked by Tian鈥檚 “Introduction to Engineering” class.

Leaman remarked, 鈥淓ngineering has always been my passion, but [Esther] really drew me into the club. I鈥檓 excited for the upcoming years; we have some cool projects planned.鈥�

A Nicaraguan coffee farmer and a local roaster teamed up last Thursday to discuss their efforts in supplying Common Grounds coffee in a way that is responsible and fair to the global community. Jamie Miller talked mainly about the challenges of coffee farming in Central America. Troy Lucas (of Lucas Roasting Co.) explained his role as a 鈥渃onscientious middleman鈥� in the coffee industry.

鈥淭here is a lot of money in the coffee industry,鈥� Lucas began. 鈥淗ow can we change that industry so that the money that starts here gets back to the farmers? That鈥檚 the question we are trying to answer.鈥�

Backed by a plethora of facts, Lucas and Miller painted a picture of a coffee industry unseen by most consumers, one in which social injustice is commonplace.

Much of the money earned in the lucrative trade remains at the top of the social pyramid. Subsistence farmers in Central and South America receive a very small percentage of the pay-off, earning between $1 and $2 per pound of coffee. Many coffee farmers do not have a large enough income to support themselves, let alone consider environmental issues.

In addition, the increasing lack of predictability in the seasons in Central America has led to widespread problems with coffee cultivation. 鈥淭he rainy season isn鈥檛 the rainy season anymore,鈥� lamented Miller.

鈥淥ur coffee is no longer getting the time needed to flower and mature.鈥� Droughts and floods especially hurt farmers, since coffee plants have a maturation period of five years until flowering.

Lucas Roasting鈥檚 mission statement is, 鈥渢o educate coffee consumers on conditions in the world鈥檚 coffee growing regions while producing incredible coffee.鈥�

As part of a campus-wide dedication to sustainability, Common Grounds began purchasing coffee from Lucas Roasting Company several years ago.

Thursday marks the first time since that agreement that Lucas has given a presentation to the 91短视频 community.

鈥淚鈥檓 here to plant seeds of transformation,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淓ducating the consumers in the industry is the first step.鈥�

In this regard, 91短视频 is well on its way to sowing the seeds of knowledge. Lucas and Miller were hosted by three student organizations: Peace Fellowship, EarthKeepers, and the Sustainable聽Food Initiative (SFI).

Tyler Eshleman, community coordinator of SFI, played an instrumental role in inviting the speakers and organizing the event. Because of his leadership position, Eshleman interacts with many Harrisonburg community members.

In addition, Eshleman鈥檚 family has purchased coffee from Lucas Roasting since its inception. When asked about their relationship, Eshleman laughed and said, 鈥淟ucas is very concerned about social justice issues. That鈥檚 one of the reasons we get along so well.鈥�

In the spirit of Troy Lucas鈥檚 mission statement, Eshleman plans to continue cultivating the seeds of sustainability here at 91短视频 through SFI. Eshleman hopes all coffee connoisseurs will join him in this endeavor.

– Harrison Horst, Staff Writer

A poster describing the project 鈥� a solar-powered greenhouse 鈥� also won second place in the first- and second-year Engineering Design Team Division at a of the , held in Georgia at Mercer University from March 30 to April 1, 2014.

Three members of 91短视频鈥檚 chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World () (the first chapter in Virginia) traveled to the conference along with faculty advisor , assistant professor of .

鈥淥ur poster was unique because it described something tangible that we had built,鈥� says ESW club president Jordan Leaman. 鈥淢any of the other projects were research-based and not very practical.鈥�

Earlier this winter, the seed of the greenhouse project germinated in a brainstorming session between first-year roommates Leaman and major Jonathan Nisly. Building a greenhouse for was Nisly鈥檚 idea. Funding for the project came from Earthkeepers.

鈥淎 lot of people build these structures with 20-foot lengths of PVC pipe, adding as many hoops as you want for the length of the greenhouse,鈥� says Leaman.

Two weeks prior to the conference, six ESW club members assembled the 12 x 50-foot skeleton of the greenhouse, sealing it with a 6 mil plastic sheet the following week. The interior was 20 degrees warmer than outside temperatures the next day.

To complete the project, the club will apply for a grant from Engineers for a Sustainable World for fans and supplemental solar heat to further extend the growing season through the winter months.

The aerodynamic shape of the curved tunnel helps with wind resistance. Without fittings on the pipes, the structure can bend and flex with high winds. (The students admit they called back to campus to confirm the greenhouse withstood the 50-mph gusts that blew through Harrisonburg while they were at the conference.)

That weekend, the students from 91短视频 had the opportunity to mix with young engineers from other schools who presented a range of projects, and learned about humanitarian engineering projects sponsored by Mercer University.

鈥淭he conference was kind of a whirlwind of new ideas and information being thrown at us,鈥� says Nisly.

A presentation on prosthetics design and testing 鈥� part of a Mercer project working with amputees in Vietnam 鈥� gave the students insights into practical applications of engineering principles, says Tian.

鈥淓ngineers working to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability is very important to me,鈥� she says. One of Tian鈥檚 first initiatives after joining 91短视频鈥檚 and faculty in the fall of 2013 was to start an ESW chapter. She is pleased that the club鈥檚 first project received regional recognition.

In the poster鈥檚 conclusion, the ESW students describe the greenhouse as 鈥渁 valuable asset to the university, as well as an opportunity for the ESW club to put our skills to work. It is a project that can be used as a model for other academic institutions, and we hope its impact will reach beyond our campus.鈥�

Pre-engineering students at 91短视频 have successfully moved from a strong foundation in math, physics and engineering classes to excel in specialized engineering schools at universities such as Penn State, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia, says Tian.

“Within the first 24 hours, we had just about 30 requests for shares,” said Taylor Weidman, one of the original masterminds behind the CSA project. “We obviously couldn’t fill them all.”

The group could only invite 11 of those 30 to purchase a share, which entitles the holder to a portion of the produce grown on campus from May through September.

Each participant invests $100 in May and $100 in July, or they contribute an equal amount through labor in the campus gardens.

club, which also runs a produce stand in the fall and transports excess cafeteria food to local nonprofits, operates the CSA program.

“There’s been a lot of institutional support, but the movement has come from the student body,” explained Weidman.

Last year, the program’s first, the CSA offered just six shares.

“We were just testing the model,” said Weidman before heading out to harvest produce from one of the five campus gardens used for the project.

Half those shareholders returned – the others backed out because they started their own gardens – bringing the total number of shareholders this year to 14.

The project is quickly growing. Next summer, the group could offer 20 to 25 shares, explained Weidman, a 23-year-old 91短视频 grad who majored in , and .

The CSA project weaves all those concepts together and then some. It unites the university’s community while creating edible landscaping that returns dollars to the local area, Weidman says.

The program is made possible thanks to support from faculty, staff and students, all of whom are represented among the shareholders.

allows four summer employees to spend part of their workdays tending the gardens, while some of the upkeep also comes from volunteers, Weidman said.

After the CSA season is over, produce still sprouting from the garden will be sold to the university’s cafeteria, he added.

“The reason this is a little different from most [CSAs] is that we’re growing produce on a campus,” Weidman said. “This is one of the best examples of local agriculture, because the revenue generated from this is going back into this place.”

Article courtesy Daily News Record, July 23, 2013

This summer, for the second year in a row, 91短视频鈥檚 vegetable gardeners are growing beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash, potatoes, onions, lettuce, herbs, peas, spinach, grapes, and more for a group of 15 committed purchasers in a system called 鈥渃ommunity-supported agriculture,鈥� or CSA.

Each CSA shareholder invests $100 at the beginning of the summer, plus $100 in July (or the equivalent in labor), to receive 1/15^th of the freshly harvested food each week over the summer. Three of the 2013 shareholders are returnees from last year; the others responded to an 91短视频-wide email sent by two university professors, and , inviting people to buy the remaining shares. All were snapped up within 24 hours.

鈥淲e started talking about having a CSA in the fall of 2011,鈥� says Taylor Weidman, one of the original visionaries for the program. 鈥淲e wanted to keep it small, though, so we could test it out and not be overwhelmed.鈥�

91短视频 has supported the initiative by allowing four summertime employees of the university鈥檚 physical plant 鈥� recent graduates Weidman and Aly Zimmerman and rising juniors Jeni Heishman and Chris Lehman 鈥� to spend part of their workdays on the gardens.

鈥淥wning a share means there will be a basket of food waiting for you every Friday evening in conjunction with a simple, informal meal for anyone interested,鈥� said the email inviting shareholders in early April.

, 91短视频 grounds supervisor, says that from the get-go the CSA has been led by students, emerging from their , with the support of faculty and staff. 鈥淲ithout the leadership of students like Louise Babikow and Taylor Weidman, the CSA wouldn鈥檛 be able to exist,鈥� he says.

In its inaugural summer of 2012, only six shares were offered. This summer, that number has more than doubled to 15. 鈥淲e might expand [next summer] to 20-25 shares,鈥� says Weidman, 鈥渂ut we don鈥檛 really have the resources to go beyond that.鈥�

Office manager 鈥�08 is one of the shareholders: 鈥淚 love that I can see where everything is grown when I walk around campus, and that it’s a walk or bike ride away from my house.鈥� On one recent Friday, Hostetler received asparagus, arugula, chard, herbs, kale, lettuce and spinach. She looks forward to receiving tomatoes, beans, peppers, peas, onions, squash, garlic, potatoes, cabbage and beets in coming weeks.

In their email announcing the 2013 CSA, the Sustainable Initiative students explained that their vision goes far beyond growing vegetables. They view community-rooted food production and consumption as a means 鈥渢o connect together to build a community dedicated to doing justice聽with how we grow and eat.鈥�

Katie Jantzen, co-leader of , said the overall goal of the mini-grants was to encourage the campus community to think more proactively about steps they can take to initiate efforts.

“We see these projects as a way of helping to support sustainability initiatives on campus that may not otherwise happen due to lack of funds,” said Jantzen. “Selection was based on the impact the project would have on the 91短视频 community, student initiative, feasibility of implementation, and a diversity of ideas.”

Changes around campus

Projects to receive funding include a $400 grant for an LED theater light fixture for the Technical Theater class; $250 for compost bins in 15 lounge and kitchen areas across campus, submitted by , web content manager and strategist; $125 to purchase local food to reinforce learning in a food writing workshop, submitted by , assistant professor in and the departments; $125 for compost bins in residence halls, submitted by sophomore Christine Baer; and a $100 grant for raspberry hedges as edible landscaping near Northlawn residence hall, introduced by the .

“We hope that our funding can be the initial impetus to get many of the projects off and running as they expand in scope and influence,” said Jantzen.

Winning projects were selected by a committee composed of , sustainability coordinator, , Earthkeepers faculty advisor, Jantzen and co-leader Josh Kanagy and members of Earthkeepers.

Earthkeepers, and the quality enhancement plan sponsored the mini-grants.

91短视频 Earthkeepers

The mission of Earthkeepers is to encourage, simplify and implement environmentally friendly practices around the campus community by following Christ’s example of holistic redemption by pursuing sustainable attitudes and practices, according to their website. In addition, Earthkeepers have helped fund composting and recycling programs, edible landscaping and The Bicycle Cooperative.

More information on Creation Care Council and sustainability practices at 91短视频 can be found at .

This was not the scene of some elaborate dining-hall heist orchestrated by starving college students. It is the bi-weekly routine of sophomore James Souder, often joined by first-year Brandon Waggy and others from the Sustainable Food Initiative, to donate untouched cafeteria leftovers to Our Community Place.

This effort, now down to smooth routine, is the result of continued collaboration between students of SFI, dining hall director Bruce Emmerson, and staff at OCP. At the end of last fall semester, junior Rebekah* [last name omitted on request] approached Emmerson about the possibility of donating unused food to those who need it.

Rebekah said that her Walking Disciples dorm hall, and previous involvement with OCP, are what inspired her and others to become more aware of the excess food in the cafeteria. 鈥淪o often, we think about going abroad to 鈥榟elp those in need,鈥� but there are people going hungry in the country and in this community.鈥�

Last year, she and former student Lucas Schrock-Hurst protested wastefulness by taking plates from students in the cafeteria, and eating the leftovers before they could hit the trash. Emmerson stopped their demonstration for health reasons, but their passion made an impact, especially when they offered OCP donations as an alternative.

鈥淎nyone that just criticizes without suggestion is not helpful, but almost every initiative we鈥檝e done here has been student-driven, or at least a student idea,鈥� said Emmerson over the sound of a floor cleaner whirring around the cafeteria. 鈥淎nd so when they come to me, it might be a little critical, but if they have an idea, I鈥檓 more than happy to try it.鈥�

Back in Souder鈥檚 car, the food does not even have a chance to get cold before it arrives at OCP. Souder and Waggy quickly unload the pans into a large outdoor cooler, and head back to campus before their next classes.

Reflecting on the beginnings of this initiative, Souder said, 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have the right connections made yet.鈥� Emmerson echoed this uncertainty in the planning stage. 鈥淚 thought it was a good idea; we just needed to work out logistics.鈥� Rebekah had a vision for what could happen. Emmerson had the resources. OCP had the need. Souder stepped up to provide the legwork.

鈥淪ometimes when they come to me with an idea, it sounds a little overwhelming,鈥� said Emmerson. Eventually, though, it can and often does become a reality. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great that the students care, that they want to see change, and change in the right direction.鈥�

Current environmental practices in 91短视频鈥檚 food services include trash sorting for composting, eliminating tray use, biodegradable paper products, and the Den鈥檚 reusable take-out containers. Even changes as small as replacing paper waffle-batter cups with reusable plastic ones, make a difference. Evidence of these changes is the few garbage cans now behind the cafeteria, compared to the large dumpster that once rested there.

This passion for change is what drives students such as Rebekah and Souder to be involved with challenging the university to think more carefully about what sustainability means.

鈥淭his is a meaningful use of our leftovers because we use the abundant resources and use them wisely,鈥� said Rebekah. 鈥淲e follow God鈥檚 teachings. Give to the poor. Hang out with the poor.鈥� She sees this as impactful not only to those at the OCP supper table, but in her personal life as well, as connections are made throughout the community. 鈥淚 think it is great to be a sustainable campus, but we should not get too caught up in it,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e could make this entire campus sustainable, but there are still people hungry in our community.鈥�

Both SFI and the dining hall have future plans for continuing to realize 91短视频鈥檚 sustainability commitment in tangible ways. The Sustainable Food Initiative hopes to plant at least ten donated apple trees on the hill behind campus. They are also in need of students to fill Souder and Waggy鈥檚 places next semester, as they leave for cross-cultural. Emmerson would like to incorporate more local foods in the cafeteria, but logistics pose a challenge. He mentioned that having a work-study student work on local food distribution would open up opportunities for local produce.

Rebekah recalled a statement made by Schrock-Hurst during their day of eating others鈥� leftovers. 鈥淭he point is not whether us eating your leftovers is right or wrong or gross,鈥� said Schrock-Hurst, 鈥渢he point is, it is grossly unjust for our university to be throwing out large quantities of food when there are people just a few miles from here struggling to put food on the table. Let鈥檚 change.鈥�

Reprinted from , 91短视频’s student newspaper. Preliminary interview by Timothy Hartman.

*Rebekah’s first name is used by request.