A survey done by World Hunger Education Data shows that roughly 30% of college students suffer from food and nutrition insecurity. Upon learning this, Toni Gist, a clinical assistant professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition, realized students’ needs were not being met on her campus and decided to take action.
She was inspired to take action by one of her students, whom she noticed struggling to stay alert in her class. When she reached out to check on the student, she found out it was because they had not eaten in over 24 hours.
“It was one semester when I was teaching over in Foellinger where it all kind of came together in my mind … And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’” Gist said.
Once she noticed there was a problem, Gist immediately began finding a way to solve it. She and her husband decided to start giving away the extra food in their pantry to the students in her classes.
This initiative quickly grew into something larger than Gist could handle on her own, as purchasing enough food for her students became costly.
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“That became a labor of love, but it became very expensive because I teach hundreds of students,” Gist said. “And so even bringing three or four boxes of granola bars to class every single day adds up over the course of a semester.”
To cut back on costs, Gist partnered with Schnucks in Mahomet to take their unwanted, almost-expired goods. Gist began taking weekly trips to the store to pick up food, bringing it to campus to give away.
Recognizing a learning opportunity, Gist decided to bring her students in on her efforts through the FSHN 120: Contemporary Nutrition action-learning class. Gist carefully curated the class to provide her students with hands-on experience by hosting food drives so they could witness the impact they have on their community.
According to Gist, part of the FSHN 120 hands-on learning approach is for students to get into teams to plan and host a campus food drive. The food her students collect is then donated to the University Food Assistance & Well-Being Program, which distributes it to students in need.
Gist says her action-learning approach to teaching FSHN 120 is, at its heart, meant to show students how easy it is to make an impact in their community, and that doing a little can go a long way.
“It’s kind of empowering in a sense versus just a traditional section where they’re doing an assignment and a quiz,” Gist said. “They’re really learning through these active steps that they’re taking towards making a difference.”
Gist works closely with a group of teaching assistants who help her students with planning and running their food drives, several of whom say working with Gist has been “an eye-opening experience.”
“I’ve really just seen that (food insecurity is) way more prevalent than I thought,” said Nina Dziamba, senior in Business and co-director of the FSHN 120 BLLC teaching team. “Before, I was just like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s just like a few people.’ But it’s really a huge percentage of the student population. So it’s just shown me that it’s a way bigger issue than I realized before.”
Melissa Mueller, a sophomore in Media and a grader for FSHN 120, said that her experience working the food drives has changed how she thinks about her community.
“I think it’s given me a lot of reflection about how people go about their daily lives,” Mueller said. “I’m someone that may not think about that every day, but you really start to realize when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, that they have a totally different perspective on food, on how it’s going to impact them, where their next meal is coming from.”
Gist actively incorporates student feedback and interests into the planning and execution of FSHN 120 and its activities, ensuring their specific needs are met. Students are given considerable creative freedom in their projects for FSHN 120 and are encouraged to incorporate their personal interests into their work. Each project is designed around a specific theme that the students propose.
“I wouldn’t say I’m doing any of it,” Gist said. “I would say it’s the students’ voices and the students’ initiatives and the students who are giving us the ideas for these types of things. And they’re working with other campus partners beyond myself, which is exciting to see.”
In the classroom and beyond, Mueller describes Gist as being someone who’s “totally authentic” and “selfless.” Dziamba also shared a similar sentiment towards Gist.
“Toni is amazing, she just always makes sure everyone feels included and like their experiences are valued in anything they do,” Dziamba said. “Like she always asks for everyone’s opinion and just wants to make sure that her classroom is as inclusive as possible.”
According to Gist, the FSHN 120 food drives have donated over 200 food items in the past month alone. Dziamba said that seeing the impact their projects have in real time is a big motivator for the students.
“We just see all the food that’s being donated and we just hear from the people working at the pantry that it’s just like it’s made such a big difference,” Dziamba said. “Like their shelves went from partially stacked to fully stacked, and they had excess food, and it just makes you feel really good.”
Beyond donations, Gist says that raising awareness of the food resources on campus is another success of the program. Gist said that she’s had students come up to her to share how the food giveaways and drives have benefited them and shown them that they are not alone in their struggles.
“So the more people I hear from that say, ‘I didn’t know that this resource existed,’ or ‘I didn’t know I could give my extra swipes at 57 and get food and then donate that over to the Food Assistance and Wellbeing Program’ — I feel like that awareness is a win,” Gist said.
Overall, Gist hopes her efforts will inspire both students and teachers to give back whenever possible.
“I would love to challenge other faculty members to look in your cupboards, look in your heart, look in your pocketbook,” Gist said. “Meet your students where they’re at … a little snack can go a long way.”
