The Hungry Huskies program has made significant progress since it was launched in Fall 2017.

     For those unaware of what ‘Hungry Huskies’ is or what it does, it is a resource designed to aid those that have trouble affording meal plans or groceries. One of the options for the student is the ability to bring food home for themselves. This allows a student to maintain their dignity in their own very personal situation.

     First, I would like to acknowledge the hard-working BU Staff who put it all together. The team had one common goal: to provide struggling students in need of a helping hand. There were many questions as to whether the program could succeed: could it be sustained once in place? How many, if any, students would attend know the profound personal nature of hunger? These are just a few of many factors the team had to consider.

     Well, the Healthy Husky team has put a great deal of effort to address these initial questions, and turning an idea into the successful implementation of this worthy program. While there have been efforts to raise awareness, there is always more to be done.

     Here’s a question to students: did you know campus hunger is a nationwide problem all across the world? According to a Hunger on Campus article “problems with food or housing harm students ‘educational efforts. Of the food insecure students in the study, 32 percent believed that hunger or housing problems had impact on their education”

     Students all over the world lack the proper resources to eat. As a community, we need to figure out ways to eliminate campus hunger.
Every organization is more than welcome to coordinate a food drive. Some organizations that have helped in the past are Greek life, The Learning Communities, The Tailgate Program, The Psychology Department, and CGA.

     Aramark has been an extremely helpful partner through this process as well. Providing food for students is crucial in order to keep the program running. Aside from the food cupboard, Aramark also donates to the Women’s Center in town.

     In addition to holding their own food drives, CGA donates a great deal of scholarship money to those in need.

     The complexity of college is certainly simplified when there are people willing to help in any way possible. The money Community Government Association donates to the Bloomsburg Foundation for scholarships is beyond the $500,000.00 mark yearly.

     The Community Government Association does more on campus than many realize, but their input is certainly fundamental to the success of Hungry Huskies.  

     Another group of students has also made a decision to assist this worthy cause.

      The technical writing classes, along with the Writing for Multiple Media class, of Dr. Michael Martin, Assistant Professor of English/Director of the Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing Program, have developed a website and online cookbook.

     The Multimedia class this semester class was responsible for getting the Huskies Helping Huskies website active and creating a donate button. With the help of Jamie North from BU’s Marketing and Communications offices the site can now be accessed through Bloomu.edu website through the A-Z index. Dr. Martin and Norie Lewis, from the University Foundation, personally funded the website for its first year.

    The website offers multiple recipes for three-course meals that can be prepared for no more than ten dollars/person. In addition, the website offers healthy eating choices, which is something people often think is outside of the college budget it.

     The website also offers the opportunity to donate to the campus cause of alleviating hunger. One of the many perks of the website is that it allows suggestions from outside sources as well. The website will be updated frequently with information about how much the organization has raised towards the cause.  

     While the Hungry Huskies program has greatly developed, there is always more to be done. Next time you’re on campus, take a look at students passing by. There is a strong chance that at least one of those people cannot afford to eat. In order to lessen the number of hungry huskies, we must spread the word about the program and its benefits. For more information, please call 570-389-2222.