| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.51 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2021 |
University of Pittsburgh
IN-48: Innovation B
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Ciara
Stehley Sustainability Program Assistant Office of PittServes |
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The University of Pittsburgh officially launched its Meal Scholarship Program in September 2020. The Meal Scholarship Program provides a unique food assistance opportunity to students experiencing food insecurity due to an emergency or unforeseen circumstance. Students who apply for a meal scholarship have the chance to receive not only short-term assistance via 15 meal swipes (to be used in Pitt’s all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities), but personalized suggestions for long-term resources based on the students’ needs (and which resources they have already tried and/or utilized).
The Pitt Meal Swipe Scholarship program addresses three gaps left by previous food security programs:
1) Serving students who have limited access to food preparation spaces or cooking skills;
2) Destigmatizing food assistance through meal passes that are uploaded to University IDs and work just as those associated with a standard (paid) student meal plan; and
3) Long-term students support via connections to additional internal and external services.
In its first two and a half months, the Pitt Meal Scholarship program provided 23 students with a combined total of 345 meal passes.
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.