SNAC raising money to keep food resource available for students
The Student Nutrition Access Center is a resource for all Utah State University students to get any food they may need.
Located on the third floor of the TSC, SNAC has food ranging from cereal to fruit to macaroni and cheese. And unlike a grocery store, it’s all free.
“We’re here to support people who have $6 in their bank account,” said Kara Bachman, the SNAC Food Security Program coordinator. “We’re here to support people who need a little bit of extra groceries for the week, we’re here to help people eat more nutritious food.”
Because SNAC is not funded through the university, they have to come up with money themselves.
This has led the organization to create a fundraiser open year-round. However, it’s an annual tradition to advertise and push for donations every March.
Their goal is to reach $15,000, although Bachman said their need is much higher than that. At the time of publication, they had raised $690.
And knowing that it’s hard to ask college students for money, Bachman said they can still promote the fundraiser.
“The best thing they could do is share the link to donate with family, friends that may be able to donate,” she said.
But as far as what they use the money for, it’s not to pay for their food.
The Cache Community Food Pantry donates the majority and, according to Bachman, SNAC employees pick up almost 2,000 pounds of edible goods once a week. Other sources of food come from USU Dining Services leftovers.
So, what does the money go towards?
“It goes towards keeping our student leadership positions paid, it also helps us buy produce and meat that we can’t get when it’s out of season,” said Sarah Moore, the SNAC co-director.
SNAC has three full-time employees and two work-study positions for students. These leadership roles pick up food, pack food orders, order products, organize and clean, manage the budget, and ensure patrons are satisfied with the quality of their food.
Photo by Phil Weber
But if anyone wants to contribute to something else within the organizations, there are other options.
On AggieFunded, options to fund specific needs for a week include $15 for cleaning supplies, $40 for packaging supplies, $50 for brown paper bags, $150 for produce in the winter or even $250 for AmeriCorps and work-study leaders.
“It’s something small that can help. Honestly, we just feel like we’re doing a really good thing and it’s hard to get support,” Moore said.
Moore also says she sees the impact that it makes on students.
“College students are a population that falls by the wayside sometimes and aren’t able to receive help in other ways,” she said. “Having food assistance here is super crucial.”
According to the SNAC website, statistics also show the positive effect of the organization. It reports there were 8,429 visits and orders filled during the 2020-2021 academic year, and 1,416 online orders in summer 2021.
And although students may think SNAC is only available for less fortunate people, employees want people to know that everyone struggles and they’re there to help anyone who wants to take advantage of it.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a real need.
Health Affairs reported a fall 2020 Hope Survey that revealed 29% of four-year college students have experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days.
“I know what we do here isn’t solving a root problem, there’s other things that contribute to food insecurity, but I love feeling a part of something bigger,” Moore said. “Hearing how SNAC has impacted patron’s lives has been really cool.”
SNAC originally started in 2010 by a previous USU student providing canned food from a trailer. In 2021, SNAC hired their first staff position. And though there have been changes over the years, their goal has always been the same.
“We’re just picking up more momentum,” Bachman said. “I just hope we can raise money to keep it going and hopefully continue to advocate for what we’re doing and at some point maybe the university administration will fund what we do.”
SNAC is open for walk-in browsing every Thursday from 1-3 p.m., 5-7 p.m. and every Friday from 1-3 p.m. They are open for online order pickups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1-5 p.m.
Anyone who would like to donate to SNAC can do so here.
-Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu
Featured photo by: Bailey Rigby