Who we are
This website was made by the members of Interfaith in Action, a registered student organization of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Interfaith in Action is a social justice organization focused on engaging students, staff, faculty, and community members from different philosophical and religious backgrounds to participate in dialogue, community service, and social action. As relatively new students, we found it odd that no single source of information existed regarding free or low-cost food opportunities on campus; rather, we would hear about these opportunities from various friends and staff members, and would have to trust word-of-mouth for most of our information. We thought it only natural to create such a source so that other students may have an easier time than we did.
Why we do it
Upon first arriving to the university, we found that there were many opportunities for free food for students and yet attendance seemed to be strikingly low at these events. According to the CU-CitizenAccess online newsroom, as of 2020, the overall rate of food insecurity in Champaign County is projected to increase from 11% to 14.4%. The national food insecurity rate is currently 11.5%, and the Illinois food insecurity rate is 10.1%. According to The Daily Illini, in 2021, 2,000 University students experience some form of food insecurity annually. Furthermore, a 2021 survey by the Hope Center found that almost 30% of students at various four-year universities claimed to be food-insecure in the 30 days prior. Students should be made aware of these frequent free food opportunities on and around campus to minimize the number of students going hungry, which leads to poorer performance in classes, and overall difficulty of life as a student.
Sources:
https://cu-citizenaccess.org/2020/12/food-insecurity-projected-to-soar-in-eastern-illinois-and-champaign-county/#:~:text=The%20overall%20rate%20in%20Champaign,food%20insecurity%20rate%20is%2010.1%25
https://www.eifoodbank.org/impact/challenge/map-meal-gap.html#:~:text=There%20are%20nearly%20100%2C000%20food,to%2015%25%20in%20Champaign%20County
https://dailyillini.com/news-stories/2021/09/12/students-experience-food-insecurity-on-campus/
https://odos.illinois.edu/community-of-care/resources/students/food-resources/
In collaboration with:
