Between Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, Care Team has seen a 72.41% increase in cases (from 203 in 2018 to 350 in 2019). In the month of January, there was a 24% increase in reports (from 29 in 2019 to 36 in 2020).
February is Canned Food Month, which provides the campus community a chance to appreciate having the Shocker Support Locker right on campus. This is a great resource to help campus community members meet their needs for food and hygiene products, even in the face of food insecurity. Don’t forget that the Support Locker doesn’t just offer canned foods, though; generous donors help keep the Support Locker stocked with fresh foods as well as preserved.
Food is one of the most basic human needs, which makes food insecurity extremely stressful. In Fiscal Year 2019, the Shocker Support Locker received 5618 visits from 2515 unique individuals. Food for Fines will be taking place during the first week of March, which is a great opportunity to support your fellow Shockers while getting parking citations forgiven. Even if you don’t have parking citations, Care Team encourages you to keep the Shocker Support Locker in mind on your next grocery trip if you have the means. The current donation wish list can be found at wichita.edu/ShockerSupportLocker.
Another campus resource for addressing food insecurity is the Shocker Share-A-Meal
mobile app, which alerts users when there is leftover food available after on-campus
events. The app is free and confidential, and available for Apple and through Google
Play. Learn more and register at wichita.edu/WSUdining.
Food insecurity is one of the issues Care Team frequently addresses. While food insecurity on its own can be difficult to identify without explicit communication of the fact, other signs of distress can be used to determine whether to refer someone to the Care Team. Something to remember is that the metabolism can slow down when the body receives inadequate energy; while noticeable weight loss can be cause for concern, so can weight gain. Since weight can be a sensitive topic, and because food insecurity does not always lead to hunger, Care Team recommends also trying to identify behavioral concerns, such as:
- Preoccupation with food
- Anxiety (and related signs)
- Depression (and related signs)
- Lack of energy
- Frequent hunger
If you’re concerned about a member of our campus community, please don’t hesitate to submit a concern. If you’d like to learn more about Care Team, our next training will be Tuesday, Mar. 10 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. You can sign up in myTraining in myWSU.
We appreciate our campus community and all that you do. Thank you for helping us create a community of Caring at Wichita State!