Reforming Campus Dining Plans to Eliminate Waste and Food Injustice

By Bryan Berger

Reform is incremental; that’s what makes it intimidating. Devoting your sweat and tears to an issue without immediate, far-reaching impact is disheartening, especially for a college student who is constantly told to question his limitations. This was what Points for a Purpose Co-Founder Dean Meisel and I had to understand as we made a plan to tackle food insecurity.

Points for a Purpose was initially envisioned as a non-perishable food drive. It was about connecting the Northwestern student body to the community and reallocating resources from where there is excess to where there is scarcity. Meisel and I noticed the extent to which students binged on convenience store sushi and pints of ice cream in order to get maximum value from otherwise unused meal points – a form of currency included in Northwestern’s meal plans. Surplus points expire at the end of each academic quarter.

The worst part is that most students purchase more food than they can eat and end up throwing much of it away. Seeing this waste repeated quarter after quarter was a process that was yearning to be reformed.

After several unsolicited emails to Northwestern University Dining Services and a few exciting meetings later, Points for a Purpose was already being developed into more than we could have imagined. In fall 2013, students were allowed to donate their leftover meal points during the last two weeks of the quarter by visiting any on-campus convenience store. During this first quarter, Points for a Purpose raised $1,245.

Our idea was substantiated and we were excited by the initiative’s potential for growth.

Dean and I worked to expand our team, become an official student group, and legitimize the group on campus through PR and branding. As we began, our fundraising efforts went towards food and supplies for the Campus Kitchens Project at Northwestern, an on-campus food pantry that delivers to food-insecure Evanston residents and families. We were focused on delivering more ,balanced meals as well as on providing food for larger events, such as Campus Kitchens’ annual Thanksgiving initiative, “Turkeypalooza.”

We now work with some of Campus Kitchens’ partners – the Second Baptist Church, Beth Emet Soup Kitchen, and First Presbyterian Church of Evanston – and support other initiatives, including “Blessings in a Backpack” and a student-organized on-campus food pantry. In addition, Points for a Purpose has become a recognized chapter of Swipe Out Hunger, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works to implement similar programs at universities across the country.

After seven successful point drives, Points for a Purpose has raised more than $16,000, collected over 100 pounds of food and grown to 18 members. While it is encouraging to see the program’s acceptance at Northwestern, it is difficult to connect the students to the problem that they are working to amend.

According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, there are 10,195 food insecure individuals in Evanston.

That is more than all of Northwestern’s undergraduate student body. As a student at Northwestern, where essentially all of my friends are also university students, it is understandable that many who participate in the drive don’t fully understand these statistics. While we have created a way for even the busiest college student to contribute to the cause, we are also working to educate students about local food insecurity.

The organization is not eradicating food insecurity in Evanston, but every extra turkey delivered before Thanksgiving or package of fruit included in a meal means progress. It is the accumulation of these small acts that will create long-term impact.

Although Points for a Purpose is focused on supporting Evanston community organizations, we also hope that our fundraising will allow us to impact other North Shore towns as well.

This holiday season, I encourage you to get involved by donating to or volunteering with a local organization focusing on hunger. With the average cost of a meal in Cook County being only $2.65 (Feeding America), consider how far a small donation can go. Please also consider contributing to Points for a Purpose at our website (pointsforapurpose.com) so that we can continue supporting local establishments and expanding our reach.

I also want to challenge you to consider the inefficient systems in which you participate. Start to question the processes in your life about which you barely even think twice – and then reflect on the ways that you can productively influence them. Just remember: reform is incremental; that’s what makes it intimidating.

Bryan Berger is the co-founder and former president of Swipe Out Hunger’s Northwestern University chapter, “Points for a Purpose.”

Photos:

• “Points for a Purpose” co-founders Dean Meisel and Bryan Berger. Courtesy of Points for a Purpose.
• Northwestern students and “Points for a Purpose” members Dean Meisel, Neha Anandani, and Bryan Berger packing meals to be delivered to food-insecure individuals and families throughout Evanston. Photo by Daniel Sosnovsky.
• Swipe Out Hunger’s Northwestern Chapter, “Points for a Purpose” announced its fall 2015 points drive with a banner hanging by the Northwestern University arch. Photo by Matt Faden.