Helping Students Excel: The Excel Center & The Nutrition Education Program Join Forces to Feed Hungry Students

Summary

The price of an education should not include hunger, but for many students attending the 15 The Excel Center campuses across Central and Southern Indiana, food insecurity is a very real threat.

Challenge

On Indianapolis’ The Excel CenterUniversity Heights campus, a heartbreaking scene played out daily: Students on their lunch break, not eating. For many limited-income adults working towards their high school diploma, missing a meal was just another sacrifice to gain an education. It was a scene that tugged at the heart of Karen Cain, a Purdue Nutrition Education Program Advisor (NEPA), who taught classes at the school. It also bothered Community Wellness Coordinators (CWCs) Linda Adams, Cori Chatterton, Betsy Coffing, Mindy Duckett, Katie Davison, and former CWC Claire Rivron when they discovered it was happening at their
area The Excel Center facilities, too.

“I love this program because these kids are so full of life” Karen said. “They have all of these hopes and dreams and they are just working so hard to reach that next step. I just want to help them reach it.”

Students participating in The Excel Center’s adult high school program face a unique set of challenges:

• Many of them have children but no dependable child care, so they must bring their children to school with them. While The Excel Center provides free childcare, the children must spend their lunch break with their parents, who must provide food for the child.
• Many students are forced to chose between working or completing the program. Because many are under 21, are unemployed, or have limited funds, they do not qualify for SNAP benefits.
• Since The Excel Center is a program for adults, it does not qualify for any of the government feeding programs aimed at younger students. Unfortunately, that includes the students’ children, who spend half their day in The Excel Center’s childcare services.
• Since money is limited, students are often forced to choose between feeding themselves, their children, or paying for transportation to school.

“This is a clear, universal need,” said Community Wellness Coordinator Linda Adams, who has been working with The Excel Center since 2021 to address the concerns.

After hearing about the challenges faced at the University Heights campus from Karen, Linda located a refrigerator so students could bring food from home and enjoy at lunch. “If these students are here, it is because they were committed to taking that next step to a new job, a new career, a better future. They are willing to do anything it takes to do that.

Solution

The Excel Center facilities across the state, well aware of the challenges its students face, have implemented different solutions. Using funds set aside for “barrier removal,” some centers purchased snacks and shelf stable food for students.

Victoria Ducret, a College and Career Readiness Specialist at the University Heights, said she and other team members keep granola bars and other quick meal replacements in their classrooms for hungry students. They also offer knapsacks packed with food for students who express a need.

“We do what we can to help,” Ducret said. “We try to help them navigate any obstacles that will hinder their success.”

That includes partnering with Karen. Ducret said Karen has been invaluable because she introduces her students to resources in the community that can help them stretch their food dollars, as well as sharing money-saving tips. Recently, Karen has partnered with Franciscan Health to offer $50 Kroger gift cards to students who completed her classes in addition to the standard kitchen tools.

“That was great because there is a Kroger nearby, so they can walk there to buy food or anything else they need,” Karen said. “Or, they can use it for gas at the Kroger station.”

Sustaining Success

However, the responses from CWCs who focus on changing environments, have been varied:

• Cori is working with five campuses in Marion County to address food access. She is developing a food delivery pilot program for two of her campuses and has had success in introducing direct education programming to two other campuses.
• In Lafayette, Betsy converted a cabinet donated by the local Extension Office to a “sharing shelf,” filled with free food. She also recently wrote a $4,000 grant which will be used to convert a closet into a food pantry, purchase a freezer to store frozen meals for students, and stock both. “The site is in a food dessert, so once the students are at school, they don’t have access to food,” Betsy said. “This allows the students access to free food throughout the day without having to use the city bus or going without food for the day. Recently, she and her partners held a community holiday food drive for the campus. Working along with her has been NEPA Barb Burrell, who hopes to teach classes there in 2023.
• At the Anderson campus, a student break room now features a microwave, a fridge stocked with yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit and veggies; and three sharing shelves stocked with non-perishables and disposable dishes for student use, thanks to the efforts of former CWC Chelsie Jaramillo.
• In Shelbyville, a food assistance initiative has evolved to include hot meals for students, fresh fruit at the front desk and toast and instant oatmeal in the break room. More local groups have joined the effort to provide support
• After discovering they were battling a common problem, in 2022 a group of CWCs arranged a virtual meeting with all of the CWCs and directors of The Excel Center campuses. As a result, several new partnerships were formed and CWCs are prepared to move forward in 2023

University Heights Director Dr. Toni Williams said she is grateful for all of the support her students
have received from NEP. Currently, she said, she spends much of her days searching for partners and resources to help her students. Having someone at her side helps.

“To have a partner who understands what your students are going though and already be working
on it is incredible.”