A small gesture in the lunch line next week can make a big difference in the lives of students facing food insecurity.<\/p>\n
From Monday, Feb. 6 to Friday, Feb. 10, the Brock community will have the opportunity to Swipe It Forward throughout the day at Market Eatery, Hungry Badger and both DeCew and Lowenberger Fresh Food Company locations in support of the on-campus student Food First Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs one of the members of the Food First working group who annually fund the program, we are committed to raising awareness and supporting students around the complex issue of food insecurity,\u201d says Malcolm Dales, Director, Dining Services. \u201cIn conjunction with our partners, we are pleased to be able to do our part to facilitate initiatives like this one, which have a direct impact on our campus community.\u201d<\/p>\n Food First provides Brock students in need with local grocery store gift cards, as well as connections to community resources and other programming related to food insecurity.<\/p>\n Donations of $1, $2 or $5 will be collected at the point-of-sale at participating dining locations. Cash, debit, credit, Dining Dollars and Flex dollars will be accepted.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize that Food First doesn\u2019t address food insecurity as a whole, but it is our hope that the program can continue to be the dependable support in times of need that many students have come to rely on,\u201d says Haley Myatt, Graduate Students\u2019 Association President and CEO. \u201cTo be able to continue at current capacities, we now turn to the greater Brock community for support.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the Swipe It Forward initiative, the Brock community can support Food First by donating through the University Development website<\/a> or by donating snack items that will then be made available free for students. Donations can be dropped at the Brock University Students’ Union office.<\/p>\n \u201cBUSU is incredibly grateful for the support Brock has provided students through initiatives like Swipe It Forward,\u201d says Yasmine Hejazi, Vice-President, Student Services. \u201cWe are seeing an increase in demand from students needing support to purchase groceries via the Food First program, which directly relates to a concerning increase in food insecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n Swipe It Forward is running in conjunction with International Development Week<\/a>, building awareness around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> of food insecurity and connecting students with supporting resources.<\/p>\n