Project Proposal: Establishing Foodbanks and Food Pantries for Student Athletes

Many players face food insecurity while playing for their respective teams. Therefore, the project’s goal is to establish food banks and food pantries that will allow student-athletes access to food to enable long-term relief of the problem. Through the project, we can address the existing food shortages and insecurities of the players to enable them to remain healthy and energetic even as they play for their college and pursue their dreams.

Literature Review

Food security was defined by Payne-Sturges et al. (2018) as poor food availability and uncertainty that one will get good-quality food for one’s nutritional needs. Therefore, the problem does not only concern the amounts of food and the surety that there will be food. It also involves the food not being the quality required for healthy living and performance. The problem is serious for student-athletes because while there may be food, most of it is poor quality (Abbey et al., 2022). Also, many donors in food banks and pantries offer food that is not of the best quality. When food is available, its social accessibility is another factor. Social accessibility concerns food being readily and equally available to the different social groups. According to El Zein et al. (2019), food security is a continuum. Therefore, the position of a person on the continuum depends on their uncertainty levels and their resource availability. The continuum ranges from very low to high food insecurity.

Food insecurity affects college students and athletes differently. According to Payne-Sturges et al. (2018), about 15% and 16% of US college students face food insecurity and risk of food insecurity, respectively. There are also different food insanity levels. According to the Payne-Sturges et al. (2018) study, among the students who had food insecurity, 43% and 69% of the students who participated had low and serious food insecurity, respectively. El Zein et al. (2019) found that 19% of the respondents had food insecurity. Reader et al. (2022) focused on Division 1 athletes. The authors found that there was 60% and 42% food insecurity among athletes and the general student population, respectively.

Previous studies have also linked food insecurity to various factors. Minority status is among the causes. African Americans face significantly higher levels of food insecurity. Minority people face economic problems that impede their ability to afford healthy foods while also playing for their colleges. African Americans and Native Americans have higher risks of food insecurity compared to white Americans (Reader et al., 2022). Financial insecurity is another factor. Usually, the factor operates with the minority status together because minority people also face economic struggles. Students from families that cannot afford to send them financial support and only depend on financial aid suffer higher chances of food insecurity. According to Douglas et al. (2022), 23.1% of the people who faced food insecurity said that lacking enough finances was the main reason for their issues. Payne-Sturges et al. (2018) linked several factors to the risk of food insecurity. He found that African American students of various ages, having low family income, and getting financial help from multiple sources increase the students’ food insecurity and the risk of food insecurity. Therefore, the student’s financial capability is a severe cause of food insecurity. Poll et al. (2018) found that student-athletes who live off-campus face added costs that make accessing food challenging. They had to spend money on transportation and housing while attending training and classes. Therefore, unlike other peers, they had lower chances of getting student employment and survived on the limited funds they had.

Another cause of poor eating habits. Poll et al. (2018) found that some students eat even without hunger. Hence, they waste food. In cases where there are food pantries, most of them have been found to offer food that is unpreferable to most of the students. Usually, people donate foods that they do not like (El Zein et al., 2019). Therefore, even for people with food and financial assistance, students’ preferences may hinder food security among students.

Some scholars have also studied how the nature of sports impacts players’ food security. Reader et al. (2022) said the various sports led to various levels of food insecurity. For instance, football players face higher risks because the sport has higher nutritional requirements than track sports. When the genders of student-athletes playing the different games were compared, women suffered more than men. According to Reader et al. (2022), more male than female athletes face food insecurity. Keller et al. (2023) found that female students faced a 17% prevalence of food insecurity compared to 10% of male students. Douglas et al. (2022) argued that female students had more financial issues and time limitations that are gender-based.

Food insecurity also causes several negative impacts on athletes. According to Payne-Sturges et al. (2018), it causes mental and physical health issues like anxiety and depression and poor sports performance. It also caused unequal access (Keller et al., 2023). Usually, students who do not get enough food struggle to focus on classes and sports. Additionally, men and women are impacted differently. Women and minority groups face more insecurity.

Various measures can also be used to solve food insecurity. Food banks and pantries are among the common food programs that are used to relieve food insecurity (El Zein et al., 2019). Food pantries allow students to get food donated by well-wishers. However, according to El Zein et al. (2019), the quality of the food in the food pantries is a major impediment to the success of the food programs. Therefore, it is important to implement a rights-based approach. Using a rights-based rather than a demand-based approach will ensure that students access meals when they need them. The approach should involve determining students’ nutritional needs and giving food based on their needs (El Zein et al., 2019). Students should also get financial training on how to spend their money to avoid food insecurity, especially for students who have money.

Objectives

• To establish food banks. The project will create food banks that will be well equipped with the food items that people need to enable its distribution efficiently. Foodbanks are food storages that allow for access by pantries.
• To create an athletes’ pantry. Pantries will enable players to access food from the food banks, especially in times of insufficiency.
• To alleviate hunger. The pantries will provide food during the entire semester to ensure that student athletes who experience food insufficiency can access their nutritional needs.
• To encourage community engagement. Sports teams offer pride to the surrounding community. Therefore, involving them through food donations, food drives, and educational activities about food and healthy diets will encourage their engagement in food donations.
• To promote sustainability. Building the food bank will enable sustainability. Also, educating students and communities to donate and preserve food aims to ensure a sustained food supply for the players.

Project Implementation

Location assessment.

The project will assess the campus to know where the food bank and pantries should be located. The location should be convenient and accessible to the target group. It should be accessible to other storage, security, and preservation resources.

Infrastructure setup.

The project should acquire or lease the needed food storage facilities. Some resources that may be needed include refrigeration units to keep food, shelves, and cleaning supplies. The food pantries should be placed in spaces convenient to the players and where they will not be ashamed.

Partnership development.

To run the foodbank and pantries, the management must coordinate with other stakeholders like donors. Therefore, the implementation team should contact and create relationships with farmers, retailers, manufacturers, and other food suppliers who may want to donate food. The team should also create partnerships with non-governmental organizations and the relevant government departments in the agriculture and education ministries to ensure they are welcome.

Volunteer recruitment.

The project will need human resources. Therefore, getting the needed volunteers from the student and employee populations will be necessary. Next, the team will also ensure that the recruits are trained to properly handle food items at the pantries and food banks. They will also need to learn how to maintain clean records and follow the needed safety protocols that apply to food management. Interpersonal skills will enable them to work with others for the project’s success.

Food sourcing.

The project will create methods and plans for getting food. There must be policies that will determine the sources and the types of foods to ensure good quality. There must be guidelines for food collection from the students and other stakeholders, food inspection, and arrangement in the pantries. There must also be written policies about how the project will distribute the food after collection.

Distribution.

The project will have to identify the players who need food and include them. The project will have to work with coaches and other administrators and leaders who work with the athletes to determine student-athletes who will need the food.

Education and empowerment.

Education will ensure enlightenment among the players and other stakeholders to avoid stigma. Previously, similar projects have failed because people who get food from pantries are stigmatized. To ensure that the project succeeds, the student community must attend education to understand why the project is necessary. EducationEducation will inform people about the project and normalize athletes’ use of food pantries to meet their dietary needs.

Monitoring and evaluation.

Monitoring and evaluation will be continuous. it will involve collecting data on the amounts of food that are available from suppliers, the impact and the processes involved. Monitoring and evaluation will enable the team to establish the failures and improve on them. It will also ensure continuous improvements to the project.

Budget and Resources

Partnerships and collaborations

The project will require funding from various available sources. Some sources the team will seek to partner with are the university sports department, the food pantry, the local community, and businesses. The teams may also have to contribute money towards the project to ensure it runs.

Expected Outcomes

There will be improved food security. The project will improve food security and reduce hunger among players of different games on campus by providing them with nutritional foods. The most affected athletes in the institution come from minority groups. Others face poverty. Offering an alternative food source they like will help improve their health and playing.

Improvement in community engagement. The project will present a chance for the college to work with the community around them. The project will have community ownership because it will rely on businesses and farmers around the campus to furnish the food bank with fresh and nutritious foods. The collaborative engagements, partnerships, and volunteering will pull different stakeholders together.

The project will cause sustainable hunger relief among student-athletes. Athletes are usually very physical in their games. Therefore, they usually need sustained food supplies. By partnering with other stakeholders, the project will ensure enough food for students in the long run.

The project will also empower student-athletes and volunteers. Through the project, students will not need to struggle for food. Instead, they will have a ready source to serve them with the dignity they deserve. The project will also offer necessary nutritional education that may vary depending on students’ sports. Therefore, students will have the necessary knowledge to make good nutritional decisions.

Finally, there will be increased awareness. The project will not work unless students and other stakeholders expected to administer, volunteer, and donate are made aware of the effects of hunger and food availability in the pantry. Therefore, there will be training to ensure that people get the knowledge they need to avoid stigmatizing people who will depend on the pantries to get their nutrition.

Conclusion

The proposal aims to establish food pantries and food banks to ensure an efficient food supply to athletes. The aim is to reduce the food insecurity affecting the facility’s athletes. It also aims to train them in nutrition and financial management to enhance their decision-making. The proposal will use a rights-based approach to ensure that players access food by providing students with food in their pantries throughout their time in camps, regardless of demand.

References

Abbey, E. L., Brown, M., & Karpinski, C. (2022). Prevalence of food insecurity in the general college population and student-athletes: A review of the literature. Current Nutrition Reports, 11(2), 185-205.doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00394-4.

Douglas, C. C., Camel, S. P., & Mayeux, W. (2022). Food insecurity among female collegiate athletes exists despite university assistance. Journal of American College Health, 1-7.

El Zein, A., Shelnutt, K. P., Colby, S., Vilaro, M. J., Zhou, W., Greene, G., … & Mathews, A. E. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among US college students: a multi-institutional study. BMC public health, 19, 1-12.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6943-6

Keller, M., Von Kahle, B., Gordon, B., & van Woerden, I. (2023). Prevalence and demographic profiles of food insecure college students at main and satellite campuses in northwestern USA. Nutrition and Health, 29(3), 541-548.

Mayeux, W., Camel, S., & Douglas, C. (2020). Prevalence of food insecurity in collegiate athletes warrants unique solutions. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4, nzaa043_090.DOI:10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_090

Payne-Sturges, D. C., Tjaden, A., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., & Arria, A. M. (2018). Student hunger on campus: Food insecurity among college students and implications for academic institutions. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(2), 349-354.

Poll, K. L., Holben, D. H., Valliant, M., & Joung, H. W. (2020). Food insecurity is associated with disordered eating behaviors in NCAA division 1 male collegiate athletes. Journal of American College Health, 68(2), 105-109.