{"id":125612,"date":"2020-08-24T10:39:26","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T20:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=125612"},"modified":"2020-08-24T10:39:50","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T20:39:50","slug":"meals-with-a-mission-windward-cc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/08\/24\/meals-with-a-mission-windward-cc\/","title":{"rendered":"Meals with a Mission at Windward CC<\/abbr> aims to serve hungry students"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Meal preparation in anticipation for the drive-through pick-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This fall, 65 Windward Community College<\/a> students will be provided with a healthy meal every day on campus thanks to Meals with a Mission. The food program, created in August to combat food insecurity and promote student success, recently received an $8,000 grant from the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community Foundation, which was generously matched by Professor Emerita Jacquie Maly<\/strong>. Additional funds were raised by the Windward Community College Ambassadors, a group of community members dedicated to promoting the campus.<\/p>\n

“Our goal is to feed as many students as possible throughout the semester, so they can focus on their studies, not their hunger,” said Chef Dan Swift<\/strong> from Windward CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Uala Leaf Café. “We 100 percent believe that students will be better prepared to achieve their goals with the support from Meals with a Mission. There\u2019s nothing like a good, nutritious meal for boosting creative energy.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that college students are struggling with food, housing and job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 50 percent of Wind\u00adward CC<\/abbr> students receive financial aid, food stamps and scholarships to attend college. For many stu\u00addents, it is not enough. The troubling reality is many Windward CC<\/abbr> students don\u2019t get enough to eat. Being hungry affects their focus and can impact their grades.<\/p>\n

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Uala Leaf Café Kitchen Manager Steve Maeshiro with plated food for students<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Providing strong student support like Meals with a Mission has been impactful at Windward. Graduation rates have risen from 6 percent to 28 percent over the past 10 years,” said Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg<\/strong>. “We are so thankful for Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community Foundation and the ambassadors for alleviating student hunger on our campus. Our community is making community college happen.”<\/p>\n

The Windward Community College Ambassadors partnered with Swift and Student Life Counselor Kaʻahu<\/span> Alo<\/strong> to envision a campus where students hunger only for knowledge and not food. Together, they launched Meals with a Mission, to provide hot, nutritious lunches to students with financial needs.<\/p>\n

“Our ambassador group realizes that the food insecurity issue is basic to the success of many of the students. Knowing that, our focus is to ensure the well-being of the student body in terms of nutrition. I, personally, am delighted and honored to support this,” said Nancy Taylor<\/strong>, Windward CC<\/abbr> ambassador.<\/p>\n

To donate to the Meals with a Mission food program, contact Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg at ardise@hawaii.edu<\/a> or (808) 235-7402. Donations may also be made online.<\/a><\/p>\n

—By Bonnie J. Beatson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new program will provide 65 Windward CC<\/abbr> students in need of a healthy meal every day on campus this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1411,1416,71,66],"class_list":["post-125612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-covid-19","tag-covid-19-uh-helps","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t