The One Meal Initiative: Ending Student Hunger One Meal at a Time

We are working with UAB administration, dining, and Student Advocacy, Rights & Conduct to initiate a program that will allow  meal donations to be converted to vouchers which UAB case managers can then distribute to deserving students.

On September 25 at the Commons on the Green, students can donate one meal. We would greatly appreciate any meal donations from students who may have an excess meal. If a meal cannot be donated, a $10 donation using dining dollars, Blazer Bucks, or cash will also provide a meal voucher for a student in need. Donations can be made at any time the Commons is open (7AM-7PM).

Students who donate will be offered a special membership status for the semester of donation. However, anyone can join this organization. Those who cannot donate can still become a member and participate in any of our events.

If interested, please contact Sippy Sridhar at suprajas@uab.edu or donortodiner@gmail.com. More information can also be found on our BSync page.

Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is estimated to affect 5-25% of students at some point in their college careers. The exact number of students facing food insecurity cannot be determined without knowing how many are in poverty. However, college students are not included in poverty statistics because they are thought to skew the data. The high cost of education and limited income have led some students into food insecurity, but many do not realize help is available.

We have been working closely with UAB  Student Advocacy, Rights & Conduct and its case managers to help alleviate food insecurity while promoting awareness of this issue. The office's food pantry has served 359 students since its establishment 2 years ago. By providing students with basic necessities they need, we can further the American dream by helping them focus on their education and future career. 

For additional information:

• This article sheds more light on food insecurity in university campuses 
• The link below provides information regarding hunger and poverty in the United States: Hunger and Poverty Fact Sheet

Membership

Membership is open to all students enrolled in the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For more information visit our BSync page (https://orgsync.com/80748/chapter) or contact us by email at donortodiner@gmail.com.

About Us

The purpose of Donor to Diner (D2D), a service-oriented organization founded in 2013 by Sippy Sridhar, is to provide easy access to food and other commodities to economically disadvantaged students who do not have access to food on a regular basis. We have partnered with the Office of Student Advocacy, Rights, and Conduct to assist in food drives that serve our peers at UAB.

D2D seeks to reduce student food insecurity within campus and has obtained approval for the transferring of campus "meals" to benefit needy students. The program, One Meal Initiative, was launched on September 25, 2015 by D2D in coalition with UAB administration and Campus Restaurants.

In addition to aiding students facing food insecurity, we strive to increase awareness of this relatively unknown problem that plagues universities across the nation. For more information about food insecurity, see What is Food Insecurity?