Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.17
Liaison Emily Vollmer
Submission Date May 16, 2024

STARS v2.2

Virginia Tech
IN-14: Food Bank

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Emily Vollmer
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution host a food bank, pantry, or equivalent resource focused on alleviating food insecurity, hunger and poverty among students?:
Yes

A brief description of the food bank, pantry, or equivalent resource:
The Market at Virginia Tech is a food assistance program launched in September 2020. The facility, which has been in use since the start of the 2021-22 academic year, is on University City Boulevard a short distance from campus. This fall’s move to a mall frequently used by students offers increased flexibility for participants. Program participants select the foods that best fit their dietary needs from a variety of choices on-site including produce, proteins, dairy, and pantry items.

“Stakeholders across Virginia Tech listened to what students were telling us and have been working together to find ways to meet their needs,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said. “We want every student at Virginia Tech to succeed and thrive, and part of that is making sure their basic needs are being met. The Market is one way we can help support our students.”

In the 2020-21 academic year alone, The Market provided more than 14,000 meals. The program is run by VT Engage: The Center for Leadership and Service Learning and the Dean of Students Office, both units within Student Affairs.

The Market’s team members continue to explore more ways to support students enrolled in the program. Fundraising for the program is ongoing to help with those efforts.

“We want every student to have the same opportunity to succeed,” said Mehul Sanghani, a Blacksburg native who serves on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors and earned degrees in industrial and systems engineering and in psychology. “We hope The Market of Virginia Tech can provide resources for those who desperately need this and help ensure that every Hokie has an equal path toward success.

"We are grateful that our alma mater supported our vision for this initiative and humbled by the tireless efforts of student volunteers whose hard work have made this a reality. We are proud to see that The Market is already having such an immediate impact and that many others are stepping forward to help by giving as well, in keeping with Virginia Tech’s motto: Ut Prosim” [That I May Serve].

You can read more here: https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2022/04/unirel-TheMarket-2022.html

Website URL where information about the food bank is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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