By Iracema Navarro, Staff Writer
An estimated 40 percent of California State University students experience some aspect of food insecurity recently. The need to get those hungry or nutritionally challenged students reliable, efficient information on resources for them is clear.
That’s why the unveiling of the CSUDH Eats App Nov. 20 by the Division of Information Technology and the Division of Student Affairs was so noteworthy.
“The main goal of the app is to provide students with the accessibility of food we have on campus,” said Scarlett Zamora, earth science major and president of the Sustainability Club on campus. “The only option accessible is the dollar menu sometimes, and that’s not healthy but if you have the help and resources here on campus, why not use it.”
The free app’s three tabs, For You, Food, and Donate are designed to help those in eed in both the short and long term.
The food tab allows users to be notified whether there is free food offered at a campus function, if any discounts or specials are being offered at campus eateries, as well as any information about campus dining from hours to employment opportunities.
The food tab is also a gateway to sign up for financial aid for food with Calfresh, get food and basic hygiene products through Toro Pantry, connect to Toro Link for free food, use Calfresh dollars at the CSUDH Farmers Market, retrieve Toro Tokens when requesting a green reusable token, and learn more from the Food Recovery Network.
The app will provide not only free or affordable prices, but also nutritional choices as well.
Many college students experience food insecurity. A survey from April of this year by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice had nearly 86,000 students participating with an indication that 45 percent of students were food insecure in the past 30 days.
The app also allows patrons to donate food to the CSUDH pantry or even create a food event, handling everything from pick-up to drop-off.