This website was developed to provide a centralized source of information regarding healthy and sustainable food options at UCSB and in the local community.
We hope to highlight services and resources to help students, staff, and faculty access and choose healthy food options.
- This site also serves as a hub for learning about the campus food justice movement and efforts to reduce food insecurity and create a more sustainable and just food system
- The website was developed and launched by the Food Security Communications Team of the UC Global Food Initiative
- The UCSB Health and Wellness Program and SIS&T department will provide ongoing management of the site
History
Students have been at the forefront of food justice issues at UCSB starting with the Associated Students Food Bank back in 2011.
The University of California is dedicated to ensuring the success of its more than 260,000 students and as such, has embarked on a comprehensive effort to assess and help solve the basic needs challenges its students experience. In July 2014, UC President Janet Napolitano announced the UC Global Food Initiative (UC GFI), a university system-wide effort to identify innovative best practices in all aspects of the food system locally and globally. UC GFI aligns the university system's research, outreach and operations in a sustained effort to develop, demonstrate and export solutions for food security, health and sustainability throughout California and beyond.
Through this initiative, a 2016 Student Food Access and Security Study was conducted which determined that 48% of undergraduate students and 25% of graduate students experience some level of food insecurity. Each UC campus has been asked to create a Food Security Taskforce to develop a plan and implement measures to reduce food insecurity among UC students. In 2017, the campus working groups created the Student Food Access & Security Toolkit that shares key efforts underway to nourish and support students.
In addition, the UC system is addressing the issue of affordable housing and is on track to create 14,000 affordable, below-market housing beds by fall of 2020 to support current students and future enrollment growth. In July 2017, the Board of Regents allocated a one-time $27 million allocation to address housing needs for students, staff and faculty.
In terms of UC Santa Barbara's mobilizing efforts, UCSB has established groups that includes the Basic Needs committee that coordinates over 60 workshops quarterly, targeting both residential and community populations and pantry services to name a few. The campus efforts to launch a comprehensive program in improving student basic needs.