SNAC in the Making
As student needs have evolved, so have we. Food insecurity affects roughly 38% of USU students throughout their academic careers, and USU is devoted to fostering an inclusive learning environment. By addressing basic needs, SNAC fulfills USU's land-grant mission for students, faculty and staff.
USU SNAC Timeline
Jordan Hunt '13 began providing canned food in a trailer.
Food Recovery Network was founded by James Wirth '17. This group began picking up unsold food item from USU Dining locations to provide to those in need.
Campus Kitchen was launched packaging unsold prepared foods from local restaurants. SNAC also moved from a TSC closet to the Service Center, a larger space with higher visibility.
Cache Community Gleaning was founded by Amira Farnsworth '21 and Kara Bachman '21 as a picking service to local, residential fruit trees, reducing food waste and giving community partners, such as SNAC, more fresh produce.
SNAC's first staff position was hired and the previous Val R. Christensen Service Center was renovated into SNAC. The renovation included the installation of a three compartment sink, an additional fridge and freezer, desk stations, metal tables and flooring.
2021-2022 Facts at a Glance
- In 2022, there were 16,830 visits to the SNAC Pantry, serving 3,064 unique individuals.
- Volunteers pick up 2,000-2,500 lbs. of canned food from the Cache Community Food Pantry each week to stock SNAC with 50-65 products. Nearly all this food is distributed by the end of the week.
- On Fridays, SNAC donates the leftover bread and pastries to local organizations.
- In the 2021-2022 academic year, there were 11,699 visits to SNAC, with 1,977 unique individuals.
- In the 2021-2022 academic year, SNAC recovered 23,666 lbs of food that would have otherwise been discarded.
- SNAC receives orders of 3,000-6,000 lbs of food from the Utah Food Bank every two weeks to stock the pantry.
- SNAC hires 2 Co-Directors and 2 Pantry Assistants each academic year.
Reports
- 2022 Fall SNAC Patron Survey Results
- 2022 Spring SNAC Patron Survey Results
- 2021 USU Food Security Report
- 2022 Persistence Report
- SNAC Data Over the Years
Outreach
SNAC is willing present or table at events with sufficient notice. To learn more and share SNAC information at USU, we have created a SNAC informational PowerPoint for faculty, staff, and students to utilize in departmental or organizational meetings.