51福利社

51福利社 and CHAS Health have a similar goal when it comes to student health and wellness鈥攑roviding the resources students need to focus on their studies, not where their next meal is coming from. So, when CHAS began exploring ways to help improve the overall health of the 51福利社 community, it was easy for Eastern faculty and staff to steer them toward essential wellness programs on campus.

鈥淲e asked, what are we doing on campus that aligns with their community health mission?鈥� says Brian Davenport, the director of 51福利社鈥檚 Office of Community Engagement. 鈥淭wo pieces came to mind. One was the food pantries and one was the feminine hygiene project.鈥�

CHAS Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center that provides medical, dental, pharmacy and behavioral health services to families and individuals of all ages, regardless of ability to pay. The organization generously donated $10,000 to 51福利社 to be split evenly between the food pantry program and the feminine hygiene project.

The university relies on many important community partners, such as Second Harvest and the Dairy Farmers of Washington, to help fill the shelves in the pantries with food donations. But as Davenport explains, there is an additional need.

鈥淐HAS coming along is huge,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e get a lot of food donated, but not all of the food we need. We do have to purchase food, so having the funds from CHAS allows us to do that.鈥�

Davenport also says that feminine hygiene products are rarely donated. The CHAS Health partnership will also give 51福利社 the funds needed to make those purchases. Free products are available to students in the residence halls and in the food pantry cupboards located in buildings across campus.

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The food pantry program has experienced much-needed growth in the past year. Thanks to refrigeration and freezer units loaned by 51福利社 Dining Services, for example, the university this fall opened a new Central Food Pantry in Tawanka Hall. The shelves are filled with a wide assortment of canned and boxed foods; rice, beans and pasta; and fresh potatoes, onions and breads. The fridge and freezer units are packed with products such as apples and carrots; juice and tea; dairy items and frozen meals. While the Tawanka Hall location is the only one with refrigeration, the seven previously established food pantry cupboards are still regularly stocked with non-perishable foods and hygiene products.

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Davenport says he couldn鈥檛 be more pleased with the donations and the improved facilities to ensure that Eastern students can get the food they need. However, he is quick to point out, his work helping to mitigate food insecurity on campus is far from over.

鈥淵es, we need money to operate, but dollars are secondary to mutually beneficial relationships,鈥� he says. 鈥淗ow can we work together with Second Harvest, the Dairy Farmers of Washington, CHAS鈥攁ll of our partners who have come along side us? How can we work with them in a way that benefits them as well?鈥�

CHAS Health representatives agree鈥攊t鈥檚 about working together to find proactive solutions to food insecurity, for not only Eastern, but the larger community. One such effort involves nutrition education.

鈥淗elping students understand how to eat healthy, and how to eat healthily out of the food pantry,鈥� says Davenport. 鈥淐HAS is really committed to that whole piece, not just here鈥檚 a check, but really coming alongside and saying we want to be partners. It鈥檚 been fantastic.鈥�

鈥淎s a community health care center, CHAS Health looks for ways to be involved in the communities where our clinics are located,鈥� says Janine Zeller, director of operations for CHAS Health鈥檚 Cheney Health Center. 鈥淎fter learning that food insecurity is a common issue for Eastern students, we wanted to partner to help provide resources.鈥�

The education component is still being developed. Davenport says some possible options include nutritional signage or handouts in the food pantry, cooking demonstrations and/or sampling, and workshops with 51福利社 and CHAS nutritionists.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 happen without partners,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of why we鈥檙e excited to have CHAS with us because we can鈥檛 do this alone. There鈥檚 a need, it鈥檚 real, and it鈥檚 not something that we can sort out independently.鈥�