The recently opened Smart Pantry, a collaboration between the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and Share Meals, ensures that students have access to meals. In the United States, nearly 30 percent of college students experience food insecurity, and an alarming 40 percent of CUNY students in New York City face food insecurity.
The Smart Pantry, designed as a retrofit kit for refrigerated and shelf stable vending machines, offers students a discreet and accessible means of obtaining free, culturally appropriate, and nutritionally rich food.
To access food, students scan a QR code on the machine, take a survey that assesses the level of food insecurity they’re experiencing, and receive points which correlate to different food options. While the survey responses do not impact the amount of points a student receives, the data will help the NYC Food Policy Center and Share Meals develop a better understanding of the rate of food insecurity amongst Hunter students across a four month time span.
Students start the week with enough points for a few ready-made meals, or ingredients to take home. The machines are stocked with a variety of food options including sandwiches, soups, and breakfast items from local vendor Maiden Voyage Catering/e.terra Kitchen, ready to eat upcycled stew from Matriark Foods, and produce from regional farm distributor GrowNYC.
Bella Karakis, Co-Founder and CEO of e.terra Kitchen, says, “e.terra Kitchen and our catering division, Maiden Voyage Catering, are proud to support the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and Share Meals’ Smart Pantry Initiative. By providing nutritious, locally-made meals for the Silberman Campus Smart Pantry in East Harlem, we are helping with community health, while amplifying the talents of local food entrepreneurs and small businesses.”
This initiative will expand access and impact of Hunter’s existing food pantries, located at the main campus at 68th Street and the Brookdale campus, to an additional 1,300 students at the Silberman campus in East Harlem. While other CUNY food pantries are open when staffed, the Smart Pantry will be accessible when the Silberman Campus is open to students.
Smart Pantry also has a commitment to supporting local businesses and minimizing food waste. “We know the impact in keeping dollars local reverberates and amplifies throughout communities in the metropolitan region and throughout our state, strengthening our regional food system, increasing its resiliency,” says Annette Nielsen, Executive Director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center.
By sourcing products from local Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and partnering with organizations like Matriark Foods, which focus on upcycling food that would otherwise go to waste, the Smart Pantry not only provides nutritious meals but also contributes positively to the local economy and environmental sustainability.
Anna Hammond, Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods, notes, “A staggering amount of nutritious food never leaves the farm, and all of that food could be used to feed people experiencing food insecurity. Matriark Foods is on a mission to make that food accessible in the form of delicious soups that nourish people while increasing markets for small and mid-scale farms and reducing the negative effects that wasted food has on the environment.”
The inclusion of cooking classes as part of the initiative is a valuable opportunity for students to gain practical skills in meal planning, food safety, and efficient ingredient use. The classes inspire students to make the most of the ingredients available to them and promote cultural diversity and sustainability in cooking practices.
The Smart Pantry also uses technology to ensure privacy and reduce stigma. By allowing students to access the pantries during off-hours and using a contactless system via smartphone, the Smart Pantry respects students’ privacy and eliminates potential barriers to accessing food.
“I remember my days as a college student when I was struggling with food security,” says Jon Chin, Founder of Share Meals, “Often, I would be studying on campus until all the buildings closed and I would be starving. My choices for dinner were limited and I would end up getting fast food or going to bed without eating. A Smart Pantry would have made those days so much easier.”
This article was written by Sycamore May.
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Photo courtesy of the Colorado Department of Agriculture
