MUCH.

>> IN ECONOMIC NEWS, BEING HUNGRY AND NOT KNOWING WHERE YOUR NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM IS THE DEFINITION OF FOOD INSECURITY.

ARE SEEING A MAJOR UPTICK IN DEMAND OVER THE PAST YEAR.

IN SOME COUNTIES, TRIPLE DIGIT INCREASES, AND IT TURNS OUT COLLEGE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE FOOD INSECURITY AT HIGHER RATES THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION, WITH ESTIMATES PUTTING STUDENTS BETWEEN 33 TO 51% FOOD INSECURE COMPARED TO ALL U.S.

ADULTS AT 9.8%.

AT NORTHWOOD TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN RICE LAKE, STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY AND NOW SOME HELP.

WE TURN TO THE COLLEGE'S PRESIDENT, JOHN WILL.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> GLAD TO BE HERE.

THANK YOU.

>> WHAT DO YOU SEE ON YOUR CAMPUSES IN TERMS OF FOOD INSECURITY?

FROM 2015, WE DID A STUDY WITH THE HOPE LAB AND THEN A FOLLOW-UP BIT OF RESEARCH THAT SHOWED THAT ABOUT 45% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE IDENTIFYING AN ISSUE WITH FOOD INSECURITY AND SO THAT'S THE DATA THAT WE'RE RELYING ON AND THEN WE ALSO KNOW THAT RESEARCH SHOWS THAT FOOD INSECURITY IS A BARRIER TO COMPLETION IN COLLEGE, AND SO WE FELT LIKE WE NEEDED TO TAKE SOME ACTION.

ACTUALLY, IN ABOUT 2019, HAD ONE OF OUR MANAGERS OF ENROLLMENT SERVICES PUT TOGETHER A PLAN TO CREATE A FOOD PANTRY.

2019 WAS A PRETTY BUSY YEAR.

YOU MAY REMEMBER IN A LOT OF THINGS STARTED TO HAPPEN IN 2019.

AND SO WE DIDN'T IMPLEMENT THAT AT THAT TIME BUT RECENTLY WE WERE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO START A FOOD PANTRY AT OUR RICE LAKE CAMPUS.

>> SO HOW HARD IS IT TO SEE THAT FOOD INSECURITY AMONGST YOUR STUDENTS?

>> WELL, IT'S NOT VERY HARD -- WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO -- THERE'S A LOT OF DATA POINTS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT.

WE HAVE MANY STUDENTS WHO SELF-PELL GRANTS, WHICH IS THE NEED PASSED FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM, AND SO WE KNOW WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN NEED.

SOME WHO ARE IN POVERTY.

WE ALSO HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE SUPPORTING FAMILIES, MANY OF THEM WORK PART TIME AND CAN'T WORK FULL TIME BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL.

THEY MADE THAT REALLY IMPORTANT DECISION TO TRY, THEY'RE TRYING TO GO TO SCHOOL TO GET MORE EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A BETTER LIFE FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, BUT IT'S A STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY AND, OF COURSE, FOOD IS ONE OF THE BASIC THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO PURCHASE AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A BARRIER TO THEM BEING SUCCESSFUL, NOT ONLY FOR THEM, BUT FOR THEIR FAMILY.

AND SO GIVEN OUR CONNECTION WITH THEM, A FOOD PANTRY SEEMED LIKE A GREAT WADE TO HELP THEM OVERCOME THAT BARRIER.

>> SO WHAT KIND OF HELP DID YOU GET TO RUN THAT FOOD PANTRY, THEN?

TECHNICAL COLLEGES HAVE BEEN RECEIVING PRIVATE SUPPORT I THINK IN LARGER NUMBERS IN THE LAST -- I'VE BEEN PRESIDENT FOR 10 YEARS AND WE'VE SEEN MUCH MORE WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE PRIVATE SUPPORT.

AND IN OUR COLLEGE, WE RECEIVED $100,000 ANONYMOUS DONATION, STILL DO NOT KNOW WHO PROVIDED THE FUNDING, AND THE ONLY DIRECTIVE WAS TO DIRECT IT TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO WE HAVE FOUR CAMPUSES AND EACH OF THEM HAS A LEADERSHIP TEAM.

THAT LEADERSHIP TEAM GOT TOGETHER, IDENTIFIED THIS AS THE PLACE WHERE THE ENDOWMENT THAT THAT MONEY ESTABLISHED WOULD BE THE MOST IMPACTFUL, AND SO THEY USED IT AS SORT OF SEED MONEY TO GET THE FOOD PANTRY GOING.

WE'RE CALLING IT BLAZES COVERED.

BLAZE IS OUR MASCOT AND THAT WAS A GOOD WAY TO BRAND IT AND MAKE IT INTO A POSITIVE THING FOR OUR STUDENTS AND HAPPY TO SAY THAT IT HAS SEEN A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH.

>> I WAS GOING TO ASK, WHAT KIND OF DEMAND ARE YOU SEEING FOR THAT PANTRY?

>> IT'S A LITTLE BIT EARLY TO LOOK AT NUMBERS OR VOLUME, BUT WE DEFINITELY SEE STUDENTS ACCESSING IT AND I SHOULD MENTION, IT'S LIKE A LOT OF FOOD PANTRIES, IT'S STOCKED WITH NONPERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS AND EVEN HYGIENE ITEMS FOR FOLKS, BECAUSE THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC KIND OF NEEDS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH FINANCIAL ISSUES SEE AND IT'S ANONYMOUS.

YOU WALK IN AND CAN TAKE WHAT YOU NEED AND THEN WALK OUT.

SO WE KNOW THERE'S ENOUGH ACTIVITY AND NEED TO RESTOCK IT PERIODICALLY, BUT WE'LL EVALUATE THAT MORE TOWARDS THE END OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR HERE.

>> YOU SAID YOUR BASELINE STARTED IN KIND OF 2015 WHEN YOU DID THAT RESEARCH ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS WHO MIGHT BE INSECURE.

GOTTEN WORSE NOW WITH THE COST OF FOOD AND THE COST OF HOUSING?

>> I THINK THAT'S MAYBE A LITTLE BIT ANECDOTAL, BUT I DO THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THOSE BASIC -- SORT OF THOSE COSTS THAT RELATE TO NECESSITIES AND WE'VE SEEN THAT INCREASE NBC.

IT'S REFLECTED IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

WE'VE SEEN MORE STUDENTS GOING MORE PRIME.

THAT'S STARTING TO TURN AROUND THIS YEAR, BUT ON THE HEELS OF THE PANDEMIC, WE SAW A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS GOING PRIME AND THAT'S OFTEN SO THAT THEY CAN HOLD DOWN MORE HOURS, AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT TURN AROUND A LITTLE BIT NOW, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY -- THAT'S DEFINITELY BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NOTICED AND WANTED TO TRY TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS AND ALLEVIATE.

>> SO WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE $100,000 GIFT, WAS IT EVER A QUESTION BUT THAT HELPING STUDENTS WHO ARE HUNGRY WAS THE FIRST PRIORITY?

>> WELL, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF GREAT THINGS THAT WE CAN USE FUNDING FOR, BUT THAT'S A PRETTY BASIC NEED FOR EVERYBODY AND MANAGING THE LOGISTICS OF A FOOD PANTRY TAKES NOT ONLY INITIAL SEED MONEY BUT A COMMITMENT FROM OUR EXISTING EMPLOYEES ON CAMPUS AND SO ONCE WE WORKED THAT OUT, I THINK THAT WAS A PRETTY EASY