Hunger Solutions Institute Highlights

The student food pantry at Utah State University welcomes Jonathon Walters as the new coordinator. Jonathon is dedicated to increasing access to food while educating students about nutrition resources and sustainable food practices.

Saydee Longhurst, Macey Bunn, and Lisa Hunsaker won the USU NourishTank 2023 student competition with their plan entitled "Farm 2 Fork Goes Mobile."

Waste Less Solutions rescues excess edible food and gets it to those who are food insecure. To date 1,437,678 meals have been served to the underfed using rescued food.

Sean Damitz has served as an AmeriCorps alumnus and a grant administrator of AmeriCorps programs at USU for the last 22 years. He excels at leveraging federal resources to reduce hunger and the environmental impact of food waste.

Laura is a public health dietician at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. She works to improve food environments and increase food access through the Healthy Environment, Active Living (HEAL) program.

Kaylie Lake, a Health Education Technician at the Utah County Health Department, focuses on promoting good nutrition and food security in her county. She also facilitates the newly formed Mountainlands Food Access Steering Committee, which advises, connec...

Paul Birkbeck has been a SNAP Program Specialist at DWS for 15 years. He coordinates the SNAP Education and SNAP Outreach programs. He served as chair of the State Nutrition Action Coalition (SNAC), which was the precursor to the Food Security Council, fo...

Rachel Bowman is the nutrition coordinator for the Utah WIC program. Her passion is ensuring infants and children have adequate quantity and quality of food to promote growth and development. She works to bring breastfeeding to the forefront of policies....

Natalie Loots manages the Community Food Security Program at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. She is interested in how diverse public sectors come together to implement policy and environmental changes to improve food security in Utah.

Create Better Health, Utah's SNAP-Ed program, now offers their nationally recognized nutrition education course online at no cost. This course includes eight video-based lessons to help people eat healthy and be physically active on a restricted budget.

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The Utah Food Security Council hosted its first meeting on Wednesday, February 15. The discussion included 30 virtual attendees and 14 in-person attendees representing a wide array of organizations tackling hunger in Utah.

The newly formed Utah Food Security Council will be holding its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, February 15, at 10:00 am. This interdisciplinary council will tackle hunger in the state. Please consider joining.

During the Utah 2022 legislative session, Senator Escamilla sponsored a bill to bring powerful agencies together. This multi-sector coalition will work to eliminate hunger in Utah

Habiba Nur, a Somali native herself, works to develop culturally appropriate education and nutrition materials for refugees who are striving to build a new life in Utah.

The Painted Horse Diabetes Prevention Program received a grant in 2015 to help provide healthy food access to the Ute Indian Tribe. As of 2022, there are a total of 110 garden boxes at individual homes in the tribal community.

Dale Ownby is the director of Eligibility Services at the Department of Workforce Services. This division administers the SNAP program, and Dale works closely with advocates to explore and implement anti-hunger strategies.

Sarah Elizabeth is one of the co-founders of the Basic Needs Collective. In 2020 she led efforts to found a FEED U Pantry satellite in the UHealth campus and partnered with University Hospital Nutrition Care Services on an extensive food recovery project....

The mission of the USU Center for Community Engagement is to develop active citizens through engagement and scholarship. One of they key areas of work remains food security, specifically the Student Nutrition Action Center.

Travis Olsen serves on the Davis Food Environment Workgroup which seeks to address food insecurity by assessing community needs, building partnerships, eliminating barriers to nutritious, affordable, and culturally-appropriate food, especially for the und...

Wendy is passionate about creating health equity for families. "If we want a healthy society, we need to see this as a priority since we are talking about human beings, not numbers."

Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources, or PIK2AR, works through partnerships with nonprofit organizations to provide food resources to all community members by meeting them where they are.

Iron County Care and Share works to provide exit from crisis onto a pathway of self-sustainability through nutritious food distribution, emergency shelter, housing, utility assistance and wrap-around supportive services.

Alyson Williams is a Network Facilitator with the United Way of Northern Utah and a stalwart volunteer with the Ogden Food Council. The Ogden Food Council serves as a public forum to address food issues and to coordinate efforts between community agencies...

Thank you to those who showed up to help with the Sandy Farmers Feeding Utah Event in July. It takes a community of caring and hard-working people to make these food drops happen.

Farmers Feeding Utah comes through again providing farm fresh food and produce to families in the northern Utah area. Record inflation has been hard on many family food budgets, Utah Farm Bureau stepping in to help.

Alex Cragun is the Food Security Advocate for Utahns Against Hunger, where he drives state-level policy reforms. He recently led efforts to increase state funding for community food pantries and Utah’s Food Security Council.

USU Extension Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-Ed) received the 2022 Best of State Award in Nutritional Health Education. This honor recognizes organizations that are outstanding in their field of endeavor and contribute to the quality of life in Utah.

SNAP-Education in America began 30 years ago. Utah SNAP-Ed, known as Create Better Health, celebrated the anniversary by hosting a carnival including bounce houses, food trucks, balloon animals, and more.

Since January 2021, the USU SNAC pantry has recovered and diverted more than 28,000 pounds of food to feed their student patrons. Food Insecurity is an issue among college students and the USU SNAC pantry is a fantastic example of combating it.

On February 22, the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation through the Utah Farm Bureau distributed farm fresh food straight from Utah farmers and ranchers to 200 military families at Camp Williams Utah. Thank you to all who helped.

Thank you to all the individuals and organizations who came together to support the Hill Air Force Base Farmers Feeding Utah event. Collaboration and cooperation of many is what makes events like this possible.

Farmers Feeding Utah focused their efforts on military families this Valentine's Day. More than 400 military families stopped by to pick up fresh, Utah grown meat, cheese, eggs, milk, fruit, and vegetables.

Noah Langenfeld, PhD candidate in Plant Sciences at USU, volunteers three days a week and fulfills most of the Student Nutrition Access Center food recovery. Despite rigorous academic and research responsibilities, Noah makes time to serve fellow Aggies....

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ripple through Utah. Farmers Feeding Utah works to connect Utahns in need with safe and locally-grown food. Miracle donors, farmers, and volunteers remain dedicated to alleviating hunger.

Researchers at USU and USU Extension teamed up to better understand the prevalence of food insecurity among college students. Findings showed a need for increased awareness and greater attention for these issues faced by Aggies.

Each year the Food Preservation and Hunger Program, through USU Extension, receives fruit donated from Cache Community Gleaning. Volunteers then turn it into apple sauce and fruit leather and the preserved fruit is then donated to the USU SNAC pantry.

Dietetics students, led by Dr. Carrie Durward of USU Extension, worked with the Cache County Gleaning Team to create meal kits for the SNAC pantry. The meal kits included apple sauce gleaned and preserved by fruit from the gleaning team.

Cache County Gleaning Team reduces food waste by harvesting excess produce in Cache Valley and sharing it with families who can use it.

In 2020, Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla introduced Senate Bill 141 Task Force on Food Security. This legislation lays out a plan for establishing greater food security in the state. Read the plan here.

The USU Student Nutrition Access Center received an upgrade this summer, including new tables, sinks, fridges, and more. This will allow SNAC to provide even more support to Aggies in need.

Mateja Savoie Roskos, PhD, MPH, and Casey Coombs, MS, RD, members of the USU HSI administrative team, recently presented on fighting hunger for the Dairy West Continuing Education program.

The Make It or Break It Fund helps students who are facing financial hardship by providing one-time assistance that can be used for a range of expenses such as car repairs or medical bills. Many students are financially precarious, and even a small surpri...

Another successful Miracle Project by Farmers Feeding Utah took place on July 28 in West Valley, Utah. Volunteers came from Grainger High School, USU Extension, USU Create Better Health, and Farm Bureau. They distributed the beef, milk, cheese, potatoes, ...

LaCee Jimenez, the Social Marketing and Eligibility Coordinator at USU Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-Ed), met with Kailey Foster of Utah Public Radio to explain the numerous ways SNAP recipients can access fresh, nutritious, local produce. LaCee also ex...

Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-Ed) ambassador, Hiram Wigant, was interviewed on Fox13 to spread awareness of the "Buy Produce for Your Neighbor" program. This program is slowly spreading to Farmers Markets across the state and in 2020 provided more than ...

Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-Ed is sponsoring a new approach to food drives. Farmers markets throughout the state now have the "Buy Produce For Your Neighbor" program available to community members. As individuals visit their local farmers market, they...

Utah State University Extension and Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-Ed) launched a Eat Fresh Buy Local social marketing campaign. The goal was to encourage SNAP participants to use the Double-up Food Bucks benefit at their local farmers markets. This soci...

Last year as the pandemic's reach and impact continued to expand, a National Food Access and COVID Research Team was organized. Mateja R. Savoie Roskos and Mckenna Voorhees from Utah State University joined the team as representatives for the state of Uta...

In May, Farmers Feeding Utah and volunteers with the Future Farmers of America clubs from Richfield, South Sevier and North Sevier high schools helped load over 1,000 boxes of food into cars of local families. The food was all produced in Utah. This event...

Farmers Feeding Utah celebrated one year by doing what they do best, a food distribution "blitz" in 5 cities across the state. The retail value of the food donated during the blitz was over $300,000. Visit https://farmersfeedingutah.org/ to learn more abo...

Recent funding from the COVID Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (CRRSAA) has allowed Utah State University to hire a full-time Food Security Coordinator at USU. This position will increase the school's capacity to more fully assist Aggies...

Many hands came together to make another Farmers Feeding Utah Miracle possible. Following a bountiful donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Farmers Feeding Utah Program, a statewide food distribution blitz was held on Wednes...

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to strain food lines, Farmers Feeding Utah strives to build a bridge between farmers and hungry families. On March 26, volunteers provided food to approximately 300 families. Families received bags of Utah-grown products...

It has been just over a year since Farmers Feeding Utah launched their efforts. To date, there have been 32 Utah farmers supported by the program. Farmers throughout the state have been impacted by the economic struggle brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic...

The efforts of Farmers Feeding Utah in Kane County were inspiring. We are grateful for all the hands that came together to make it possible. "We have a lot of people who often feel forgotten down on this end of the state, so it was really exciting to brin...

In less than a year, Farmers Feeding Utah has served more than 21,331 families. Their efforts continue to spread across the state. This project continues to grow and include more and more hunger-fighting agencies. Utah State University, USU Extension, sch...

Farmers Feeding Utah has donated over 1.1 million pounds of nutritious food to families in need. Their efforts were inspired by the struggles that have resulted from the COVID19 pandemic. Utah State University Extension and Create Better Health (Utah SNAP...

Farmers Feeding Utah continues to raise funds to purchase food from farmers throughout the state. This food goes to families impacted by the pandemic. In less than one year, there has already been more than $1,000,000 worth of food donated. And they aren'...

Many individuals and organizations came together for a successful Farmers Feeding Utah event in Washington County. Over 1,200 families benefited from this event. The work continues with Farmers Feeding Utah!

Earlier this year, Farmers Feeding Utah and the Miracle of Agriculture partnered with the Foundation for Kids to donate 38,000 pounds of food to 5 elementary schools in the Salt Lake Valley. This is just one of the many inspiring projects completed by Far...

"When I heard about Farmers Feeding Utah, I knew I needed to get involved. I have been in need of help in my past and how better to return those favors by helping my fellow Americans. It takes a community to raise a family. I have made it a goal to help m...

“As the land-grant university that is proud to count so many farmers and ranchers as alumni, I can think of no better way to help them during this difficult time – and help needy families as well – than what this program has been doing,” said Noelle Cocke...

Farmer families, agricultural volunteers, Weber County Sheriff’s Office and the Ogden Police Department were on hand at the Weber County Fairgrounds to hand out meals to those in need. That's why the event was called “Cops and Crops.” Police officers in O...

Provo families benefited from yet another inspiring Farmers Feeding Utah Miracle. Turkey, potatoes, cheese, butter, eggs, and more were delivered right in time for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving. The harsh impact of the pandemic has been difficult for...

It's the holiday season, and too many families are food insecure. To combat hunger, Tooele County Create Better Health team assembled and handed out 90 turkey meal kits to food pantry clients. Meal kits included recipes, food safety tips, and ingredients ...

"Thank you so much! I know me and my husband were worried we wouldn't have food the next few days. This helped us so so so much!" "Thank you so much! It’s going to help out so much. It was awesome the way you handled it and kept everything running smoothl...

Farmers Feeding Utah helped families in the Salt Lake area by donating 40,000 lbs of potatoes, 18,000 dozen eggs, 35,000 lbs of carrots, 3,000 lbs of lamb meat,, 420 lbs of mushrooms, 5,950 lbs of corn, 800 lbs of cherries, 350 lbs of garlic, 8,000 lbs of...

Farmers Feeding Utah donated 42,000 lbs of potatoes, 20,000 lbs of beef, 3,000 lbs of pork, 19,000 dozen eggs, and $100,000 of dairy to the residents of Cache Valley and food pantries in the area. Farmers Feeding Utah, launched by the Utah Farm Bureau, co...

In May 2020 Farmers Feeding Utah donated over $200,000 retail value to community members of the Utah Chapters of the Navajo Reservation. This first Miracle Project included 605 live sheep, 16,000 lbs lamb meat, 10,000 lbs flour, and provided food for over...

Paula Scott, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Director (EFNEP), works tirelessly to help low-income populations acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behavior necessary for nutritionally sound diets, and to contribute to their persona...

Many people have been laid off because of the pandemic, especially in the Uintah Basin, due to a decreased demand for oil. The Farmers Feeding Utah program arrived in Vernal to help those families in need. This program continues to work miracles across th...

In Stacy Bevan's Community Engaged Learning course on Food Literacy, undergraduate students share their culinary knowledge with participants of USU's Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC). Food Literacy students developed culinary handouts with recipes u...

Farmers Feeding Utah has successfully donated a retail value of over $600,000 dollars to food pantries and families in need throughout the state. These inspiring efforts continue to move forward as Utah works hard to take care of each other from the impac...

Create Better Health en español is the SNAP-Ed program in Utah for Spanish speaking households. This program offers free live classes and online resources to help the LatinX community with nutrition education, basic kitchen skills, traditional recipes, as...

LaCee Jimenez plays a crucial role in fighting hunger in Utah. She is a leader at the state level for Create Better Health, Utah's SNAP-Ed program. LaCee coordinates interventions that impact policies, systems, and environments to improve food security. S...

Thank you to AFLCIO Pantry, Crossroads Urban Center, Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Mower, Harward Farms, Local Foods Advisory Council, Mountain View Mushrooms, Payson Fruit Growers, Rep Joel Brisco, Rep. Steve Handy, Rep. Angela Romero, Roberts Family Farms,...

The USU Gleaning Team is at it again this year! They are just beginning their season and have already collected 100 pounds. Anyone who owns, or rents property, or knows someone with fruit trees that produce excess fruit, the USU Gleaning team can come and...

Utah farmers and families have been particularly impacted by this pandemic. Many important supply chain elements have closed down, leaving farmers unable to sell their Utah-grown products. All of this has been happening as a record breaking number of Utah...

Hiram Wigant, HSI Assistant Coordinator, devised, executed, and marketed the "Buy Produce for your Neighbor" program at the Cache Valley Farmers' Market. This program has gained momentum around the state as more and more local farmers markets offer the pr...

Co-founder and Director of Utah Conservation Corps, Sean Damitz is a force for good among students and employees on Utah State University campus. He leads staff in effective and efficient hunger-fighting programs including the SNAC campus pantry. He helpe...

Farmers markets are a great opportunity to support local farmers and enjoy delicious and nutritious produce. Twenty-two farmers markets throughout the state of Utah have partnered with the Double Up Food Bucks program to allow SNAP participants to stretch...

Thank you to Cathy Newman (Tremonton Pantry), Matt Whitaker (Cache Pantry), Mike Pace, Josh Dallin (Box Elder Extension), Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance.

The Utah State University Chapter of the Food Recovery Network recovered food from campus dining services that was unused due to students moving home so quickly during the pandemic. They recovered 200 lbs of cheese and butter, 150 lbs of produce, and 150 ...

Thank you to Rebecca Benally, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Utah Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance.

The first Miracle Project from Farmers Feeding Utah was delivered to the Navajo Nation in San Juan County. They received over 25,000 pounds of lamb meat, plus shipments of live lambs for future use. This totaled more than $100,000 worth of lamb. More Farm...

Create Better Health is Utah's SNAP-Ed program. Throughout the state, ambassadors educate SNAP participants on healthy eating habits and tips for a physically active lifestyle. Through their Policy, Systems and Environment efforts, they improve access to ...

Farm Bureau and the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation initiated the Farmers Feeding Utah Miracles. The Miracles were created to assist the farming and ranching industry by purchasing food (commodities) from Utah farmers and then distributing to families i...

Dr. Brian Warnick, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, has given USU HSI his full support over the years. In the spring of 2019, Dr. Warnick assisted faculty with getting the Hunger and Food Security Studies Minor approved. ...

The COVID19 pandemic has left several students jobless or with fewer work hours. Volunteers at the Utah State University Student Nutrition Access Center have continued to work hard to keep the pantry stocked and students fed during this economically stres...

Dr. Chuck Carpenter, Department Head of the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Department at USU has been an avid supporter of the USU Hunger Solutions Institute since day one. Dr. Carpenter has provided the USU HSI with one-time funding for small ev...

The Utah State University NDFS faculty and staff collected $2,000 for donation to the Student Nutrition Access Center. Since February 2020, SNAC has been seeing at least 400 visitors per week. Gratitude goes out to the NDFS Department for their personal g...

Sarah Patino, an ambassador for the Create Better Health Program in Tooele County, has partnered with the local Boys and Girls Club and food pantry to create monthly recipe bags for families in need. These recipe bags are kid friendly both in taste and as...

Brhianna Malcolm, Student Sustainability Office Coordinator at Utah State University, directly oversees multiple student interns in the SSO. Brhianna helps guide and manage the Fall USU Farmers Market, which hosts the Double Your Food Bucks program. This ...

Kara began working with the student sustainability office as the Food Intern in December 2017. While there she helped run the Food Recovery Network, the USU on-campus farmers market, and co-created the Campus Kitchen at USU. After volunteering with the Fo...

Nelda Ault-Dyslin has been the Community Service Coordinator in the Val R. Christensen Service Center for six years. She helps community-minded students work with partners and organizations to meet the needs of people on campus and in communities. She is ...

Compost Cache Valley's goal is to divert the food waste and other organic materials from landfills, then incorporate the nutrients and soil organic matter back into our local agricultural soils in the form of compost. They do this by collecting food waste...

Amria is the Vice-President of Kitchen Operations for the USU Campus Kitchen and serves as the Extension Hunger Relief and Food Preservation Intern. She partnered with USU County Specialists to preserve gleaned fruit into fruit purees and then donate the ...

SLCC Campus Gardens offer garden plots to students and staff to rent for the season to grow their own produce. Many who rent plots choose to donate some of the produce they grow to the pantry. In addition, there are multiple plots reserved for growing pro...

The USU Student Organic Farm donates hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to the USU SNAC Pantry and the Cache Valley Food Pantry. This year they added the Family Place to the list of organizations they donate to. Students are invited to volunteer on the f...

College students are a relatively unstudied population when it comes to hunger issues, and yet they are among the most likely populations to experience food insecurity in the United State. Dr. Mateja Savoie Roskos, Co-Director of the Utah State University...

James has been involved in several food security and sustainability initiatives. He started the USU chapter of the Food Recovery Network in conjunction with Dining Services in 2015. He served 3,000 hours as a community-engaged scholar while working on his...

Under the passionate leadership of Sean Damitz, the Utah Conservation Corps (UCC), based at Utah State University Center for Community Engagement, has been awarded an AmeriCorps VISTA grant to address student hunger and food security on six higher educati...

In 2010, a small group of students concerned about their peers' access to food came together to found the Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC). From SNAC's humble beginnings in a trailer at the former USU Trailer Court, to a single metal cabinet, to the...

Salt Lake City Mission is a non-profit organization that provides basic essentials to the homeless and others in need in the SLC area. They provide food, clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, hygiene items, crisis counseling, job counseling, and other educat...

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), a nation-wide community nutrition education program, celebrates 50 years of operation this year. The program is administered by the USDA and National Institute of Food and Agriculture and currentl...

The Utah State University Gleaning Team is picking fruits and vegetables from trees and gardens in Cache Valley as part of a collaborative effort through the USU Val R. Christensen Service Center, USU Extension, and the Student Sustainability Office. Volu...

During the 2018 Hunger Solution Institute breakout session, Hiram Wigant, an educator with Create Better Health Utah, heard descriptions of different organizations, their goals, what they do, and what they wanted. But not how to help connect the organizat...

Salt Lake Community College assists its community members by filling their cupboards and stomachs. Students, staff, and faculty can all obtain free groceries and toiletries from the Bruin Pantry by presenting their OneCard. The Bruin Pantry knows almost e...

Every year students, staff, faculty, and administrators from campuses throughout the state of Utah, along with community partner organizations, gather at the Utah Higher Education Food Summit. Come learn about best practices in fighting campus and communi...

In 2015, Utah State University joined the Food Recovery Network (FRN). This initiative unites students on college campuses to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste from campus and communities and donati...

Suzanne Prevedel, USU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor, has partnered with The Painted Horse Diabetes Prevention Program and the USU Extension Family Wellness Program to create the Garden Box Program. The Ute Tribe Painted Horse ...

Utah State University Assistant Professor Cris Meier is leading the Smarter Lunchroom Movement in Utah. The SLM encourages healthy food choices in the lunchroom to make the food more appealing and increase self-efficacy for healthy choices. This in turn i...

Marisa Christensen and Taylor Hale, who graduated in Spring 2018, created NEEM (Nutrition Education Ending Malnutrition). This organization offers a sustainable approach with emphasis on culturally appropriate education and investing in women.

As the director of Campus kitchen, Dawson helps reduce hunger and food waste by repurposing, repackaging, and cooking extra food into meals. The prepared meals are donated to the on campus pantry at USU. All of this is done completely by student volunteer...

Utah State University joins The Campus Kitchens Project, the leading national nonprofit empowering students to fight hunger and food waste, with the official launch of its own Campus Kitchen. The student-led organization will turn wasted food into healthy...

Utah’s SNAC group was initially formed in 2005 but has continued to evolve and grow with the changing demographics and needs of Utah’s population. SNAC allows agencies with similar nutrition and wellness missions to leverage resources and knowledge, reduc...