As we approach Emory’s fiscal year end on August 30, the Campus Life team wanted to provide an update on the impact of your gifts to the Food Security Fund.

For the spring semester, the Food Security Fund partnered with the Eagle Co-Op by providing food and supplies. The Eagle Co-Op was visited over 30 times each month and the most requested items were rice, bread, canned fruits, pasta, frozen meals, frozen meat, and canned vegetables. This summer, the Food Security Fund is assisting 28 students by providing meal swipes for the Dobbs Common Table and the SAAC at Clairmont Campus. 

Amanda Trubetskoy, MSW, Case Manager/Communications Coordinator with Student Case Management and Intervention Services (SCMIS) shared this:

1 in 8 Georgians are food insecure (Feeding America, 2020), and college students are not exempt from this statistic. When students don't have consistent access to healthy meals it's a barrier for students to stay in class and succeed academically. One of our goals in the office of Student Case Management & Intervention Services (SCMIS) is to connect undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with available food security support and to increase awareness of resources on and off Emory’s campus. 

SCMIS relies heavily on generous gifts to the Food Security Fund, which is one of our main resources that allows our office to support food insecure students. The Food Security Fund ensures that SCMIS can continue purchasing groceries to stock the Eagle Food Co-op food pantry, order grocery gift cards to support students in crisis, and provide campus meals to students over school breaks when regular dining is halted. SCMIS would not be able to support our students as compassionately or as effectively without the generosity of the Food Security Fund. 

Thank you again for your support. Please continue to follow this campaign for updates and share the page via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or email to inspire others to give to this ongoing need.

Thank you for your compassion and support of Emory students who struggle with food insecurity. Over the past year, your gifts to the Food Security Fund have made a big impact. 

Student Case Management and Intervention Services (SCMIS) continue to meet student need with funds from the Food Security Fund, along with support from Emory Dining, local businesses, and community donations. Since October 2020, 244 students have visited the Eagle Food Co-op, a program where students have access to a free supply of canned goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, non-perishable items, and hygiene products. Since January 2021, the Food Security Fund has also provided groceries for 30 Emory students through grocery eGift cards and Instacart grocery delivery.

Ongoing support and advocacy for the Food Security Fund is still very much needed. For this reason, Emory will feature the Food Security Fund again during Giving Tuesday on November 30. Visit momentum.emory.edu/GTFoodSecurity to learn more and renew your support this year.

Thank you for continuing the tradition of supporting those in need within the Emory community!

Over the past few months, your support has helped 35 Emory students not worry where their next meal will come from. Your generosity has made it possible for just over $11,000 to go toward providing students facing food insecurity with groceries over winter break and the start of the spring semester. You’ve given these students dignity, hope, and full stomachs. Thank you.

Ongoing support and advocacy for the Food Security Fund is still very much needed. Please consider sharing this campaign, and why you give, with your friends and family. 

We are also featuring the Food Security Fund during Emory Day of Giving on March 24; visit dayofgiving.emory.edu/studentneed to learn more. You can also sign up as an Emory Day of Giving Advancement Volunteer to rally support from your network. We provide a digital toolkit, plus make it fun with special competitions and Emory swag.

Thank you for stepping up to help food or resource scarce members of your community during Emory Cares this past November.

We are excited to invite you to continue this important conversation through our upcoming program, Emory Explores: Food Insecurity on Emory’s Campus and Communities of Color on Thursday, February 18 from 5-6pm EST. 

Join us for a brief presentation from Emory Campus Life and the Toco Hills Community Alliance who will share current examples of barriers to healthy food and then participate in a small group conversation with fellow attendees to discuss food inequity and what we can do to ensure quality food is available for all, especially in communities of color.

Thank you for stepping up to help with your gift to the Food Security Fund this holiday season. You helped ensure that Emory students can fill a need during an especially challenging time. 

This past week, more than 23 students received direct assistance to pay for meals, with more than half requesting help to secure two meals per day. Weekly numbers like these serve as a reminder that this fund is not only necessary, but that it is truly making a positive difference in the lives of students who are grateful for your support.

“Thank you for helping me worry less about food. Your generosity allows me to focus on my studies and on ways to serve my campus!” says a Dean's List junior who is active in community service.

“The pandemic has hit my family especially hard over the past year, and I hope, one day, to be able to give back to help others in my situation,” says another undergraduate student who requested anonymity. “I am truly thankful for your assistance.”

This first year graduate student is grateful for the Food Security Fund: “It has made a big difference for us in having enough food to last us through the end of each week.” Reflecting on the stigma of asking for help, she expresses gratitude both for your kindness and your open mind: “Your gift has made something one might feel embarrassed about into a true action of non-judgmental generosity from your hearts!”

On behalf of these students—and the dozens more who benefit from the Food Security Fund—please accept this heartfelt thank you for your love, support, and kindness.

We cannot say thank you enough…

Thank you for helping ensure Emory students do not need to skip meals during winter break.

Thank you for helping bring certainty to students experiencing food insecurity.

Thank you for being part of the community of alumni, faculty, staff, parents, friends, and fellow students who donated to this campaign during Emory Cares and #GivingTuesday.

You are one of 567 donors who have contributed to this cause. Many of our first donors were from Emory Cares, and now 318 donors from our #GivingTuesday efforts have come together to make a significant impact on the lives of students in need.

We are excited to share we have also fulfilled the $10,000 match, so we have collectively raised more than $46,000 for the Food Security Fund (and gifts continue to come in).

We could not have done it without you! Thank you for rallying around this cause to help bring consistent, dependable food access to Emory students in need.

We look forward to providing another update when we hear from Campus Life on their progress of administering the program.

Thank you so much for your gifts that have brought us so close to our goal. Emory is such a generous community, especially on this #GivingTuesday!

So far, 470 donors have contributed more than $27,000 to our campaign. Now that we are $2,000 away from our goal, can you please help us close the gap? A final push could help us reach our $30,000 goal and use the full $10,000 match. 

We know food insecurity makes it hard for students to stay in class and succeed. Help us support students who qualify to purchase their own food when away from campus by promoting the Food Security Fund on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email (momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday).

Not sure what to say? Feel free to use the suggested message below:

Today is #GivingTuesday, and I hope you will join me to help end food insecurity in our student community at Emory. Today your gift will even be matched! We are raising support for students who don’t have access to consistent healthy meals. Make your gift at momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday and it will be matched dollar for dollar. Thank you for making a difference!   

Let’s reach our goal together!

Today is #GivingTuesday! Thank you for transforming our community by giving back to causes like the Food Security Fund.

This campaign has brought together alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Emory to support students in need. Jodi-Ann Wray 11C shared, “As the daughter of a chef, I know the power that food has to bring people together. That is why I am raising awareness and fundraising for meaningful causes on campus – most notably to help create food security for students.”

Your support of the Food Security Fund helps transform the Emory community by allowing students experiencing food insecurity to purchase their own food. Please continue to spread the word about this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email (momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday).

Here are a few more facts to share in your messages:

• Some Emory students face the real challenge of not knowing where their next nutritious meal will come from. A lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life is defined as food insecurity.

• Emory saw an 80 percent increase in requests for food-related needs between 2016-2019, and this was before the pandemic.

• The least food secure time for many students is during school breaks- which affects the quality of their Emory education and experience.

Thank you for helping to end food insecurity at Emory!

You are helping to bring food security to Emory students this holiday season. Like you, we believe not a single Emory student should go hungry, even when they are away from campus. This is why Emory Advancement and Alumni Engagement created the Food Security Fund. Gifts to this fund support students who qualify with Student Intervention Services to purchase their own food when away from campus.

Thanks to your generosity, we have already raised more than $16,000 toward our $30,000 campaign goal for the Food Security Fund! But we are not done yet…

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday — a global movement that powers positive change — and we hope you’ll consider sharing this campaign with your network through direct messages, text, email, and social media. We are also delighted to announce that online gifts made on or after November 25th to Support Student Food Security at Emory will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000 thanks to generous contributions from Eric (96C) and Stacie Gulko (97C) and an anonymous alumnus (84C).

By asking your network to join you in making a gift via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email (momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday), you can amplify our philanthropic impact.

Here is a suggested message:

For Emory students experiencing food insecurity, the holidays are challenging. Did you know that some Emory students lack consistent, dependable access to food—especially during school breaks? Gifts to the Food Security Fund allow students in need to purchase their own food. Bring certainty to Emory students experiencing food insecurity by making your gift today. Momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday #GivingTuesday 

This #GivingTuesday, we are grateful for your continued support to help end food insecurity within the Emory student community. Thank you!

We are grateful. You have raised nearly $10,000 for Emory students in need! You have directly shaped the Emory community by supporting the Food Security Fund. Thank you! Your generosity toward this cause continues to amaze us.

The holiday season can be especially challenging for some students. An Emory undergraduate student recently shared, “Unlike most of my friends, my parents can’t afford to send me spending money. With two part-time jobs, grants, and loans, I don’t have extra cash. Over breaks, when dining facilities are closed or limited, I get by on ramen noodles, and if I’m lucky, some extra food from the restaurant where I work.”

Food security is a significant and tangible need. As we approach winter break, we are hoping to continue the momentum by making the Food Security Fund the focus of our #GivingTuesday efforts and by raising our goal to $30,000.

Your continued support helps bring certainty to students experiencing food insecurity – a cause that embodies both the Emory Cares and #GivingTuesday movements. We hope you’ll help us amplify our impact by sharing this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email (momentum.emory.edu/GivingTuesday) to help us reach our new goal.

Thank you for giving a helping hand to students in need.

Thanks to your generosity, we achieved our original goal of $5,000 for the Food Security Fund! We are in frequent communication with Campus Life and they are thrilled with what we have achieved together – you have truly shown #EmoryCares! In fact, so far 19% of Emory Cares volunteer registrants have donated to fight food insecurity at Emory. 

As we approach winter break, we know that the need for student assistance is only going to grow. Based on recent requests to Campus Life about one-third of student financial assistance needs are related to food. Campus Life will determine soon how many students will be on campus over winter break and resources like the Food Security Fund will be essential. Given the great need, we have decided to increase our fundraising goal to $10,000. Through peer-to-peer outreach and donations via Emory Cares registration, we are confident we can reach our new goal together.  

Next Steps: 

1. If you haven’t already, check out Emory Cares virtual service projects and register to further your favorite cause.

2. Please consider sharing this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email (momentum.emory.edu/emorycares) to help us reach our new goal. 

Thank you for leading the way and making sure Emory students do not need to skip meals during winter break.