submitted by huertag@augsburg.edu
We are thrilled to have already raised $2,656 — 29% of our goal!
For Give to the Max Day this year, we are raising funds for two important programs: The Augsburg Campus Cupboard and our Cedar-Riverside food justice initiatives.
Augsburg University has, over the past decade, become a school that serves a student body that is more diverse and lower-income than our neighboring state schools, and where the burden of food insecurity on students is significantly affecting their capacity to benefit from the studies in which they are investing so much of their familial resources.
The Campus Cupboard is open four days per week to all Augsburg students and recent alumni. There are no item limits; students can take as much food as they need for themselves and their families. In 2019, an average of 50 students visited the Campus Cupboard to pick up free groceries each week. In 2022, that average increased to 220 students per week. We regularly receive feedback from our students that the groceries we provide make a huge difference for their families’ ability to access high-quality, healthy foods. Many students and their families in the Twin Cities Metro Area now see this service as a key piece of meeting their basic food needs.
In order to expand this work, we are seeking funds to purchase culturally appropriate food items for our diverse student population. Because our program operates on a small budget, we rely primarily on recovered food items, which limits choice and thus our ability to meet students’ specific needs.
A $30 donation provides one grocery bag with culturally-appropriate foods for an Auggie. Your donation will make a significant difference in our ability to meet the growing and diverse food needs of Augsburg’s student body and our neighbors in Cedar Riverside. Thank you so much to our incredible supporters who have already given generous donations!
If you are able to support this vital work, you can make a donation here.