Over the past 10 years, several studies about college students have determined food insecurity rates ranging from 20% to over 50%. These percentages are much higher than the 12.8% rate for the nation overall. Researchers attribute the high levels of food insecurity to “a growing population of low-income college students, high college costs and insufficient financial aid, more financial hardship among many low- and moderate-income families, a weak labor market for part-time workers, declining per capita college resources, and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) policies that specifically exclude many college students from participation.”
Noticing the issues of food insecurity among college students, Makayla Williams and Alexis Wray created MarketBoxx in 2019. Their goal is to support economically disadvantaged college students who experience food insecurity, poverty and adversity by providing essential needs in one box. The team want to see college communities that make supporting basic and essential needs a priority so that students can thrive academically and emotionally.
MarketBoxx has partnered with and fed over 1,000 families and college students across the states of North Carolina, Texas, Alabama. They plan on doing even more. As Williams and Wray are both graduates of historically Black North Carolina A&T State University, they have placed an emphasis on students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including their alma mater. They have also worked with North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University, Texas Southern University, Stillman College, and Johnson C. Smith University. Research shows that HBCUs are often located in food deserts, making food insecurity an even bigger problem for their students. In addition, nearly 70% of HBCU students are Pell Grant recipients, indicating that they are from the lowest income families in the nation.
But why did Williams and Wray gain an interest in food insecurity? When they were students at North Carolina A&T State University they saw students who did not have access to a stable food source, or were juggling sending money home to family and paying for food. They are working to eliminate the stigmas attached to receiving help from food banks and school pantries, as well as government support. According to Williams, “College students shouldn’t ever have to choose between their education and their next meal which is why the mission of MarketBoxx is so important to us. By working to eliminate college students having to make that choice, it allows students the opportunity to become the better version of themselves and can also lead to them creating a positive impact of their own.”
Williams and Wray are purposeful in their approach to serving students. According to Wray, “Most college students only have a microwave and mini fridge in their dorm room so it’s important for MarketBoxx to shop with intention and buy foods that not only make sense for what’s accessible to them but also what helps us deliberately and purposefully fight food insecurity for each student we come across.”
A unique aspect of MarketBoxx is that it is “rooted in LOVE.” According to Williams and Wray, “Everything we do is rooted in love. Our love for college students and our desire to see hunger free campuses is what drives us. We put LOVE in every single box.”
This holiday season, Williams and Wray are urging corporations and philanthropists — as well as average citizens who want to donate to individuals and families in need — to remember that people need food outside of the holiday season as well. They advocate for regular giving to support food insecure students and others, noting that everyone can live a more fulfilling life when they have nourishment and security.
For more latest Education News Click Here