Chobani is joining forces with Swipe Out Hunger, the leading nonprofit addressing food insecurity on college campuses, to tackle this problem.
Food insecurity impacts one in 10 Americans. College campuses are among the most affected, yet overlooked, communities, where one in three students faces hunger, according to the Wisconsin Hope Lab.
Costly housing, transportation, healthcare and rising tuition, have created financial hardships for college students, especially those students who are parenting, from the foster care system, first generation, working full time, or even homeless.
"Too many college students skip meals to cut corners and save money—not because they're busy or forget to eat lunch," said Chobani's president and COO Peter McGuinness, in a statement. "These students should be allowed to focus on their education, creating bright futures without worrying about their next meals. We are proud to do our part to help."
Chobani will fund food security efforts at 23 schools in partnership with Swipe Out Hunger, kickstarting or bolstering existing programs at those schools. The donation will help Swipe Out Hunger bring its expertise, including ongoing consulting and coaching, to campuses in Chobani's home states of New York and Idaho.
"Chobani's commitment thoughtfully addresses student hunger by helping colleges support their students after an extremely challenging year and a half," said Rachel Sumekh, founder and CEO of Swipe Out Hunger, in a statement. "Chobani's dedication underscores that everyone has a pivotal role to play in ending college student hunger."
To continue to raise awareness about this underreported issue, Chobani and Swipe Out Hunger are collaborating with VICE News to host a virtual summit on November 1, 2021 at 5pm EST on the VICE News YouTube channel.
The summit will bring together leaders from the nonprofit, private, and public sectors who are pushing for stronger federal and state policies to support college students across the country.
Chobani and Swipe Out Hunger's partnership will support the following colleges:
Idaho:
University of Idaho
College of Southern Idaho
Boise State University
College of Western Idaho
Idaho State University
New York:
SUNY Oneonta
Hartwick College
Colgate University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
SUNY Binghamton University
SUNY Cobleskill
Hamilton College
Utica College
Syracuse University
Le Moyne College
Cazenovia College
SUNY Morrisville
SUNY Broome Community College
Mohawk Valley Community College
Herkimer County Community College
Onondaga Community College
CUNY Medgar Evers College
CUNY Hunter College
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