UDC pantry addresses student food deserts
UDC pantry addresses student food deserts
Doni Russell has made it her personal mission to address food insecurities among UDC students, where many reside in food deserts – places with limited transportation to get to stores with fresh produce.
“As much as you want to teach someone, none of it matters if they are hungry,” Russell said. “I know the effect it has on students.”
Russell is the director of the Office of Student Outreach and Leadership Development, working under the Division of Student Development and Success. She has worked at the University since 2009 and saw a need to provide students access to fresh produce and healthy meals.
That outreach began with the weekly distribution of produce from UDC’s Firebird Farm in Beltsville, Md. It has become a highly appreciated pantry that looks and functions more like a healthy market. Located at 4250 Connecticut Avenue on the second floor as part of the Van Ness Campus, the Food Pantry is open Monday through Friday during each semester, excluding holidays and other University closings.
Established in 2017, 2,370 students have registered to use the Food Pantry to reduce student food insecurities, empower students to make healthy choices, remove barriers to college retention and link them to resources.
So far this fall semester, 280 students have registered for the Food Pantry with their unique ID number that allows them to enter. The Food Pantry has installed a computerized ID scan system for student access. Students must be enrolled at any campus – the Van Ness campus, UDC Community College, the David A. Clarke Law School, Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning and the hangar at Reagan National Airport.
“I believe we are playing a vital role,” Russell said. “It’s pure anatomy and biology. If you do not have nutritious food in your body, you can’t perform at your optimum. I am very driven to see our students succeed, and they need proper nutrition to do that.”
Students register for the pantry and gain access to a large variety of food, including meats, organic produce from UDC’s farm, prepared meals, salads, healthy snacks and even recipes. The pantry also carries personal hygiene products.
“We have been able to build a unique approach with our UDC Fresh Food Program by providing healthy nutritious meals, including sandwiches, along with significant quantities of fresh produce and printed recipe sheets for easy to prepare vegetable-based meals,” Russell said. “Key to our success has been our ongoing collaboration with local organizations and businesses, along with our own Firebird Farm and gardening club volunteers.”
Russell drives the UDC van every Thursday to pick up produce set aside for the pantry.
Sponsors for the Food Pantry include the DC Food Rescue, Wegman’s, Target, Capital Area Food Bank, Giant, DC Public Schools, Amazon and the National Presbyterian Church, which purchased equipment for the pantry.
“We are a school that is all about dietetics and nutrition,” she said. “We have a farm, produce grown on the rooftop and CAUSES’ food truck that provides nutrition education. Some of our students are stuck on this food desert. Many are athletes and international students who live on campus but can’t get to fresh produce.”
Russell has been a strong advocate, making the case for the connection between successful output in class and the quality of nutritional food for students. She is well known in DC for fighting for improved offerings for students on campus beyond fast food.
She tries to meet students where they are without judgment.
“I get calls from other departments about students with needs,” Russell said. “We provide bags because some can only take what they can carry. We have to be sensitive about some students’ housing situations that may not allow them to store food. We are in one of the most expensive cities in the country.”
Russell is very protective and doesn’t allow students to be photographed. She tries to provide an upbeat environment where students have been known to share recipes and are encouraged to experiment with foods that they’ve never tried before.
“I don’t want the students to ever feel exploited receiving food,” Russell said, who has a team of volunteers and paid interns.
She also works to ensure that her interns gain more than credit while working with her by paying for the interns to become certified food handlers.
Russell attended the Regional Hunger Conference, where President Maurice Edington was a speaker.
“It made me excited to know that President Edington understands the issues.”
She hopes to rebrand the Food Pantry to the Firebird Food Market because of the well-organized refrigerated sections and the broad selection of items.
“I am very thankful for a job that I can literally see tangible results of my work helping students on a daily and weekly basis,” Russell said. “It makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”
