Webster University

12/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/16/2024 12:14

Webster University Joins a New Program to Address Student Food Insecurity

Webster University Joins a New Program to Address Student Food Insecurity

December 16, 2024

Webster University has joined a new program started by Operation Food Search, a non-profit hunger relief organization in St. Louis that provides free food, nutrition education and innovative programs proven to reduce food insecurity. The pilot program will provide food and toiletries to up to 200 Webster students per month experiencing food insecurity, starting in January of 2025.

"Food insecurity is a human rights issue, but most importantly, it is also a student success and retention issue. People cannot attend college and be successful if they are hungry," said Legal Studies Professor Anne Geraghty-Rathert, director of the Willow Project that oversees Webster Grab n Go Food Pantry. Geraghty-Rathert will manage Webster's portion of the new partnership. "We are so incredibly grateful to Operation Food Search for recognizing and fulfilling this need for our students and many other university students in our area."

The program launch comes on the heels of a food insecurity assessment survey by Webster University Adjunct Full Professor Terri F. Reilly that found that more than half of Webster's students reported skipping meals while attending Webster due to the lack of funds.

More than 750 Webster students participated in the survey. The study found that as Webster students:

  • 49% reported running out of food.
  • 56% indicated lacking money to buy food.
  • 58% reported skipping meals due to financial constraints.
  • 27% indicated using a food pantry or similar resource.
  • 61% were aware of food insecurity concerns among fellow students.
  • 47% identified as domestic students and 53% as international students.

The Operation Food Search program at Webster will launch the first week of January. The Webster Food Pantry Committee will meet in January to plan for the program's formal launch.