Combatting Food Insecurity at UT Austin

By Haley Pacheco, Amber Williams and Jayson Martinez

Food pantries, churches and apps are joining a common battle at the University of Texas in Austin: food insecurity.

Food insecurity, defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as a “household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food,” affected 1.3 billion people worldwide in 2022, according to the USDA. Nationally, over a third of college students experienced “any food insecurity” in 2021, according to the National College Health Assessment.

Such uncertainty can negatively impact students, said Jamie Davis, a nutrition professor at the University of Texas.

“If students are worried about where their next meal is going to come from,” Davis said, “how are they expected to study for their chemistry exam?”

A variety of innovative programs on the UT Austin campus are attempting to alleviate the problem.

Food insecurity is not the same thing as hunger, which describes a physiological condition involving an “illness, weakness or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation,” according to the USDA. However, the “prolonged, involuntary lack of food” associated with food insecurity can lead to hunger.

But people don’t have to be hungry to be food insecure if the only food they can afford is low quality, said Davis. Such food, highly processed with sugars and fats, is sometimes the only option for people with food insecurity.

“You can feed your family at McDonald's way cheaper than you can do it if you were to go to the grocery store and get grilled chicken and vegetables and whole grain rice,” said Davis.

This low-quality food is linked to chronic illnesses like obesity, diabetes and cardiometabolic

disease, Davis said.

But aside from chronic illnesses, food insecurity causes other problems too.

Lack of proper nutrition can also lead to stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, according to Davis. The National Institutes of Health says “nutritional factors are intertwined with human cognition, behavior and emotions.”

“Stress and mental health issues can be linked to poor academic performance,” Davis said. “That really affects your mental and physical health and your current state.”

Just as food insecurity in college leads to many problems, food insecurity is caused by many

factors such as money, housing, work and family commitments, according to a 2022 article

published by the healthcare journal Health Affairs.

The article also shows certain demographics have been linked to higher food insecurity

susceptibility. Such groups include racial minorities, students receiving a Pell Grant and college freshmen acclimating to independence.

As students at the University of Texas experience food insecurity, a campus pantry works to

provide access to free groceries and spread awareness about the issue.

“Our mission is to combat food insecurity by providing this resource,” said Valera Martin, the

student emergency services coordinator for UT Outpost.

Courtesy of UT Outpost

Located north of campus, the UT Outpost accepts walk-ins Tuesday through Saturday, where

students can choose from fresh produce and packaged goods.

While some food is purchased through university funds, donors significantly contribute to the pantry’s supply, according to Martin. Some such donors include grocery stores, local campus cafes and student-run gardens.

First launched in 2018, the pantry now receives about 300 visits per week, according to Martin.

To accommodate all visitors, the pantry suggests students limit their groceries to 25 pounds of food per week. While this amount is not meant to replace a student’s entire food supply, it can supplement their limited options at home, said Martin.

“It's nice knowing that it's there if I need it,” said Marena Gallo, a junior journalism student at the University of Texas who occasionally uses the UT Outpost.

Gallo said while she does not consider herself food insecure, she sometimes stresses about food bills as a freelance face painter who supports herself financially.

“I'm just a college student, and stuff can get expensive,” Gallo said.

A student ID is the only requirement to access the pantry.

“There’s nothing to prove,” said Martin. “We make it as accessible as possible so that all

students can feel comfortable coming into this space.”

When asked if such minimal requirements enable students to take advantage of the free resources, Martin said the opposite occurs.

“A lot of times, (students will) tell us, ‘Oh, I don't think I need it. Somebody else probably needs it more,’” she said.

While students’ pride and embarrassment may contribute to their hesitation to visit the pantry, these concerns are not reinforced by the UT Outpost staff.

“Every time you go in, they greet you with a smile,” Gallo said about the pantry’s environment.

“There's definitely no judgment or stigma there.”

The UT Outpost talks about its resources with the community to help undo such stigma, Martin said.

“The more we talk about it, the more we can normalize,” Martin said. “It's OK that sometimes we need a little bit of extra help.”

UT Outpost is not the only pantry combating food insecurity at UT. Daily Bread, another food

pantry run by the college campus ministry LuMin, also connects students with free food.

Courtesy of LuMin

It is conveniently located in West Campus at 2100 San Antonio, making it easily accessible for students. The pantry provides a variety of groceries, from fresh produce to non-perishables, as well as toiletries. It runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday.

Josue Hernandez, an intern with LuMin, oversees Daily Bread. He is responsible for selecting

items and picking up the groceries.

“I try to get things that are easy to cook or things you can make easily,” Hernandez said. “You're in college, and you're really caught up with time. I try to prioritize grabbing ingredients that you can make a quick meal with over and over again.”

LuMin funds Daily Bread through donations to the ministry. Hernandez said that coming from a lower-income household has made him thankful to be a part of initiatives like this.

“This allowed me to kind of see how much food insecurity was an issue at UT,” Hernandez said.“But that’s what we’re here for, to help.”

Like UT Outpost, all that is required is a UT ID to verify enrollment. This allows LuMin to keep

track of who’s coming in and how often. Hernandez implemented an idea where students are able to give suggestions so the pantry becomes more curated for regulars.

“It's definitely something I take pride in,” Hernandez said. “I've been able to build the food

pantry and cater to as many students as possible.”

Along with their weekly food pantry, LuMin also has Tailgate Tuesday, providing free dinner for students from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Tuesday. According to Hernandez, 700 students are fed from week to week through this initiative.

Second-year student Cathy Huynh said she heard about Daily Bread after attending Tailgate

Tuesday.

“It alleviates a few costs,” Huynh said. “It really helps out in the long run for me in terms of

groceries and dinner for Tuesday. It really helps.”

Third-year student Jay Aleman started going to the pantry with his girlfriend after hearing about it at a farmer’s market on campus.

“I think since I've been busy this semester, grocery shopping has kind of slipped my mind a little bit,” Aleman said. “It puts a little bit of my mind at ease knowing that I have this.”

Daily Bread serves about 45 students each week, with about 38 regulars, according to

Hernandez. He said it’s been fulfilling for him to help out fellow students.

“College is super stressful,” Hernandez said. “I think these particular moments where I've had to be the person facilitating helping people has been very rewarding.”

As both pantries aim to combat food insecurity through donations and outreach, one mobile app is approaching this issue by connecting students with discounted meals that would otherwise go to waste.

Too Good To Go is a unique application that addresses food insecurity and waste with the

utilization of technology. Through the mobile app, restaurants that would normally dispose of unsold food are able to sell it at highly discounted prices.

Courtesy of Too Good To Go

While Too Good to Go is fairly new, its outreach has made it present in over 13 states and more recently on the UT campus as well.

“The app is a great way to connect students with low-cost meals,” said Zachary Sanders, a senior marketing major and campus ambassador for Too Good to Go. “It helps reduce local food waste.”

Sanders became an ambassador after noticing a campaign by Too Good to Go aimed at gaining popularity among college students nationwide. Many restaurants near the UT campus have also begun partnering with the app to help address food insecurity.

O’s Campus Cafe, a local cafe with multiple locations on campus, is one such vendor partnering with Too Good to Go. Owner Joe Sauta said the app has served as a good option for students on and near campus.

“In the last 10 months, we have produced 1,853 meals that have been purchased through the app,” Sauta said.

Too Good to Go continues to grow and expand its reach throughout Austin and the world. Many businesses have expressed good experience with it and plan to continue working together.

“I see this initiative making it a long way,” Sauta said. “It's effective, and its mission is really

important.”

While pantries, churches and mobile apps are taking action to address food insecurity, some

students still remain unaware of their existence.

“I think that the bigger issue with college students is just not knowing they have access to some of those resources,” Davis said.

For students like Gallo, discovering resources like UT Outpost gives her an opportunity to share it with others needing help.

“I want to tell as many people about it,” Gallo said, “so that other people can benefit from it.”

With about one-third of college students experiencing food insecurity, the need is certainly there.