University Closures Impact on Food Access for Students
- Nithya Trichy
- Mar 19, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 1, 2020
During times of isolation and fear, selfless people are lending a helping hand to those in need. Many students are adversely affected by the schools and universities closing down due to the coronavirus. School and University closures are impacting food access for thousands of students in the country. For many students in the Cincinnati public schools district, school is not only where they gain knowledge and education, but it is also the place where many receive their only meal for the day. Additionally, thousands of adults and parents are jobless and are unable to provide for their families making meals for children a huge concern for the city. The Cincinnati Public School system is known to have the highest percentage of children who utilize and qualify for the free and reduced meal system. To combat this issue, governor Mike Dewine, granted Cincinnati Public Schools systems permission to provide meals for students who qualified for free or reduced meals. CPS staff, non-profit organizations, and volunteers have joined together to provide meals for the students and their families who are in dire need of the community’s support.
One non-profit organization making tremendous effort towards this cause is La Soupe. Founder, Suzy DeYoung, began La Soupe to provide free meals for those in need. DeYoung not only combats hunger, but also food waste, by crafting nutritious soups from donated and rescued food from local organizations. She receives food donations from restaurants and other businesses and transforms them them into hearty soups. Then her team of volunteers help distribute the soup to people in need in the community. In 5 years, La Soupe rescued 1 million pounds pounds of food and transformed the food into 650,000 serving of soup. Due to the coronavirus crisis, DeYoung decided to join forces with The Cincinnati Public School System prepare to help prepare free meals for students as well their families.
The Community members are vital in this operation as they are dedicated their time by volunteering with CPS and La Soupe. These compassionate volunteers help prepare, package, and deliver the prepared meals to designated locations, where people in need of the meals wait to receive a meal package from a volunteer. To ensure the safety of everyone involved in this system, all the volunteers and members running the operations undergo health checks to prevent the spread of disease. The food packaging process is also carefully monitored under safety guidelines.
Covid-19 has impacted food access for millions of people around the world. According to the 2020 Global Report On Food Crises, around “135 million acutely food-insecure people [are] in need of urgent humanitarian food and nutrition assistance”. The rise in unemployment, restrictions for movement and closures of various businesses have had a negative impact on food access. The crisis is disproportionately affecting the poor. Millions of people are unable to buy food due to the lack of income as well as the disruption in food transport systems. This is a huge issue as undernourishment weakens one’s immune system and makes them more susceptible to diseases including Covid-19. Around the world, millions are suffering from hunger and food insecurities. Now more than ever, there is a greater need for humanitarian support.
There are many ways you can help such as by donating food, money, or time towards a cause. Even a small act can have a profound benefit to other people’s lives. These are difficult times for everyone, but if communities come together for a greater cause they can together have a positive impact on those in need. If you are healthy and able to, seek out ways to help those in your community.
Donate to La Soupe
Volunteer to be a food rescuer
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