MSSU is a partner in a state-wide project that has the objectives to: 1) assess food insecurity in college students among multiple types of higher education institutions; 2) assess students’ knowledge of SNAP, including how to access and enroll in the program; 3) identify their nutrition and health behaviors and preferences; 4) identify and better understand their barriers to and facilitators for SNAP access, including issues related to food security caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
These objectives will be assessed via online survey and focus groups. The survey will be disseminated to 1000 students from a variety of higher education institutions (e.g. public vs. private school, universities, community colleges, technical schools) across the state in order to compare college food insecurity and barriers to and facilitators for SNAP by institution type, using an ecological perspective to examine multiple levels of influence on food insecurity.
Four focus groups will be conducted online to further explore barriers to and facilitators for SNAP participation and potential strategies to improve students’ enrollment in this program, with attention to multiple levels of influence in the college environment.
In pursuit of these objectives, the Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition (MOCAN) will bring together its partners to better understand this issue statewide. The information gained in this project will be disseminated to Missouri Extension Nutrition Program Associates (NPAs) and other MOCAN partners across the state who provide nutrition education and enroll Missourians into SNAP.
By providing the NPAs with information about the colleges and universities in their county they will be better equipped to serve college students. Online webinars and a toolkit will be developed to further disseminate findings to state and national audiences. Funding for this project was received from the Fahs-Beck Foundation.
SNAP U FOLLOW-UP STUDY FUNDED BY THE MISSOURI FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH
Project Title: An examination of resources needed by college administrators and Nutrition Program Associates in Missouri to increase college student enrollment in SNAP.
What? Connecting eligible college students with food resources, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is a critical need in Missouri. College students have traditionally been less eligible for SNAP benefits, but recent federal legislation and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an expansion of SNAP eligibility.
However, participation in SNAP by college students remains low, and barriers to this program, along with resources needed by college administrators and Missouri Extension Nutrition Program Associates (NPAs) to enhance enrollment, are not known. Understanding strategies and resources needed to enhance SNAP enrollment among eligible college students could inform policy development.
The purpose of this project is therefore to better understand which supports are needed for Missouri college administrators and NPAs to assist with enrollment in SNAP, to learn the feasibility of expanding SNAP resources in four-year universities, community colleges, and technical schools, and to develop policy recommendations for enhancing SNAP enrollment statewide. The overall goal is to make lasting changes to the administrative and policy environment surrounding the SNAP program in Missouri colleges.
Campus Programs
NO KID HUNGRY LION CUB ACADEMY WEEKEND SNACK BAGS
The primary objective of the program being proposed is to provide children, ages 1-5 years, on state or tribal financial aid with nutritious food to eat over the weekend when food availability may be limited. The Lion Cub Academy (LCA) is a licensed child care center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University (MSSU).
The center currently serves 105 children, 24 of whom are receiving financial assistance to attend from the state of Missouri and 15 of whom are receiving aid from the Nine Tribes of Oklahoma. The Lion Cub Academy provides children with breakfast, lunch and 1-2 snacks during the week.
Funding from No Kid Hungry is being used to purchase food that will be sent home with eligible children each Friday. Perishable food items will be purchased in bulk and fresh fruit will be purchased weekly. One of the Lion Co-op directors is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with meal planning experience. She will create a 3-week rotating menu of meals and snacks. The children participating will range from ages 1-5 years, so feeding abilities will be taken into consideration. Food will be stored in a designated area of the Lion Co-op.
A student intern will package the food items and the bags will be delivered to the Lion Cub Academy on Friday mornings. The Snack Packs will be placed in the child’s cubby to be taken home.
Thanks to a grant from the Department of Health and Senior Services, room 205 of Spiva Library on the campus of Missouri Southern State University has been converted into a lactation room.
Dr. Andrea Cullers, associate professor in the Kinesiology Department, recently secured the mini-grant. “We have more than 400 women working here that are of childbearing age, not to mention student-mothers,” she said. “When they go back to work or school after having a child, they often stop breastfeeding because they don’t have a private place to pump.”
“The response by our faculty has been outstanding,” she added. “Many of them have even let students pump in their offices in the past, so hopefully, providing a new private and comfortable spot will reduce their challenge.”
The lactation room will be available to MSSU employees and students. Those interested in using it can simply check-out a key from the library circulation desk.
INTERNSHIPS
The Lion Co-op offers interdisciplinary opportunities for internships and practicum students majoring in Health Promotions, Social Work, Marketing, Communications, Technical Writing, and more.
Build career skills and experience while earning educational credits through projects such as Adopt-A-Lion, social media & marketing campaigns, website design, grant writing, food system research, and organizing Empty Bowls and other fundraising events.
The event was a fundraiser for the “Groceries to Graduate” scholarship program offered by the university’s Lion Co-op Center for Nutrition Security. Which is a scholarship that allows eligible students to collect four disbursements of &50 each month throughout the semester to be used at the Webb City Farmer's Market for fresh produce, dairy, bread, and meat.
Preparation for the Empty Bowls event at Missouri Southern involves plenty of student engagement, from art students who helped create the kiln-fired clay bowls, to student interns at the co-op who work with local businesses to organize it.
This years event will be on Tuesday April 11, 11-1pm in the North End Zone with multiple local restaurants donating soup, dessert and bread – eat-in and carry-out options. Cash, card, check.
For $20, those attending will receive a bowl created by the Department of Art and Design, soup, bread and dessert. Admission is open to the public; Proceeds raised during the event will go toward a scholarship created to address food insecurity.
Campus Community Garden
Coming Soon The campus community garden is a collaboration between the Center for Nutrition Security, Student Senate, and Plant and Clay clubs. The campus community garden will expand the Lion Co-op’s outreach: addressing food insecurity of MSSU students, providing multidisciplinary student learning opportunities, and promoting health and wellness among university employees. The garden will provide student organizations and departments opportunities for new and seasoned gardeners alike.
