The Feed helping Vol State students in need.

Last updated on February 23, 2022

By Nichollas Plucker

The Feed at Vol State Community College is a program which offers weekly food resources to students in need. Tiffany Zwart, Coordinator of Student Support said, “The purpose of The Feed is to supplement student’s weekly food resources. Hunger has a negative effect on levels of energy, concentration, and GPA. The Feed opened in the Fall of 2017; it was in response to growing food insecurity among college students. Studies were done on colleges across the country, and they learned that up to 59% of college students experienced some sort of food insecurity.”

When asked about the goals for The Feed, Tiffany Zwart said, “Our goal is to make sure our students aren’t going hungry. In addition to that, we are always working on reducing the stigma of visiting The Feed. We want it to be an enjoyable experience for our students. We treat all of our students with dignity and respect. We don’t verify need or try to create barriers to make the process difficult.”

“So, running The Feed is a grand undertaking and it takes our entire office. Our responsibilities are making sure the Feed is stocked, we update our dates of availability in our shopping link, we type of grocery lists, so students’ requests are available at their appointment time. We work with community partners to bring in donations, and we work closely with our Foundation Office for financial donations. The Foundation Office has been so supportive and helpful in advertising the needs of the Feed.” Said Tiffany Zwart.

The Feed supply consists of frozen meat (chicken, beef, and Stouffer’s meals) and Pancakes/Waffles. Refrigerated items like milk, eggs, butter, lunch meat, yogurt, and cheese slices. The Feed also includes Hygiene, household, and baby items.

The Feed is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for pickup times at 2 and 3pm. However, if a student is unavailable during these times, they can reach out to contact Tiffany Zwart.

“I think it’s important for students to know that our Feed operates like Wal Mart pickup. Students simply have to complete the shopping link and show up at the time they choose. We roll their food out and put it in their car. This has been a good option for our students who are in a hurry, have kids, & want anonymity. We always want to serve our students with dignity and respect. Over the last few years, we have gotten to know our students’ lives, both their wins and losses. It is a privilege for us to be able to serve our students in this capacity. We often hear that student don’t want to visit because they don’t feel like they are “needy” enough. But we operate in the belief that using The Feed can save enough money so you can buy gas, pay a bill, or put it toward school & that’s what we want our students to know.” Said Tiffany Zwart, Coordinator of Student Support.

Currently there are 200 students who have signed up to use The Feed and any student can visit. For any Vol State students that are interested in helping The Feed please contact Tiffany Zwart at tiffany.zwart@volstate.edu.

For more information: The Feed | Volunteer State Community College