A 2024 survey conducted by Swipe Out Hunger, an Aramark Collegiate Hospitality partner, found that more than 770,000 students accessed food support options on the 351 U.S. college and university campuses that participated in the survey.
These food security options include:
- Campus food pantries and essential needs hubs;
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment and EBT access; and
- Meal swipe donation programs, such as Swipe Out Hunger, which allow students on a meal plan to donate extra meal swipes to other students in need.
As part of an ongoing partnership, Aramark hosted Swipe Out Hunger’s board meeting last September and participated in a panel discussion on the State of Basic Needs relating to hunger.
Strategies for Change
“We offer comprehensive solutions to tackle food insecurity on campuses across the U.S.,” said Deb Parnigoni, Vice President of Marketing, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. “Our Food Insecurity Toolkit empowers operators to facilitate surplus food donations, apply for SNAP benefits on behalf of our client partners, implement meal plan donation programs, and support on-campus food pantries.”
In fiscal year 2024, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality donated more than 73,000 pounds of food to student pantries on client campuses, a value of nearly $135,000. In addition, the team donated nearly 325,000 pounds of food to help children and families in their broader campus communities in 2024.
University of California Irvine
The Aramark Collegiate Hospitality team donates $100,000 a year in meal swipes to UCI’s Basic Needs Center and supports the Center’s Zot Out Hunger program through which students donate up to 5,000 meal swipes each year. SNAP/EBT benefits are accepted at Zot N Go Market and Zot N Go Express Social Sciences, two of the largest convenience stores on campus. The team also subsidizes meals at four campus childcare centers.
Meal Swipes: Students Helping Students
Aramark Collegiate Hospitality supports meal swipe donation programs at 63 client locations. Through partners such as Swipe Out Hunger, generous students donated 86,281 meal swipes to students facing food insecurity last year at client campuses last year.
University of Nevada Las Vegas
UNLV students donated more than 2,800 meal swipes last year, which were all matched from Aramark. The team has donated nearly 3,000 pounds of food from catering and student support services events, such as Take What You Need. Last year, 2,600 pounds of food was donated to the UNLV Food Pantry. SNAP benefits are accepted at the campus c-store.
Assistance in a SNAP
In addition to helping countless children and families, SNAP provides many college and university students critical help in fighting hunger and food insecurity.
Currently, 27 campuses (30 convenience stores) managed by Aramark Collegiate Hospitality facilitate SNAP assistance for students, making it easier to access SNAP benefits through EBT cards.
In addition to this operational support, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality advocates for legislative and regulatory changes to better serve students in need.
Eastern Kentucky University
Last year, EKU became the first university in Kentucky to accept SNAP benefits on campus. Now, students, staff, faculty, and community members can use SNAP benefits at one of the campus’ Provisions on Demand (POD) Markets, which offers essential grocery items like fresh produce and dairy.
Making a Difference
Research indicates that food insecurity among college students may result in higher stress, depression, lack of focus, poor sleep quality, and lower grade point averages, among other negative effects.
Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is committed to being a good partner in the higher education space to help ensure no student goes hungry. Read more.
