In Support of the Role of the SF-Marin Food Bank in Addressing Food Insecurity at SF State

RATIONALE: Considering that 41.6% (low and very low food security) to 64% (marginal, low and very low food security) of CSU students experience food insecurity1 and that the cost of food in San Francisco is 23% higher than the national average2, it is important to recognize the work that the SF-Marin Food Bank is doing to address food insecurity at SF State.

a student’s academic success is related to a student’s access to food; and

students who are food insecure have lower GPAs and more academic concerns than students who are food secure1; and

the SF-Marin Food Bank is the leading institution working to address hunger in San Francisco and Marin County through advocacy, nutrition education, home-delivered groceries, neighborhood pantries, CalFresh outreach and enrollment, providing morning snacks for high-need public schools, supporting community partners, and their fresh produce initiative; and

SF State became the first neighborhood pantry on a college campus for the SF-Marin Food Bank; and

the SF-Marin Food Bank provides 8-16 products each week to our students at the Associated Students (AS) Pop-Up Food Pantry, including 6-10 produce items, 1 grain item, and 1 protein item; and

attendance at the AS Pop-Up Food Pantry has increased from an average of 70 students per week in Spring 2017 to 250 students per week in Fall 2017; and

the SF-Marin Food Bank trains and supports our students as CalFresh enrollers; and