Erase shame surrounding food insecurity

By Olivia Turner | Staff Writer

Baylor had its biannual Free Farmers Market, an event put on by The Store, on April 19. Here, students from all walks of life gathered on Fountain Mall to pick fresh produce to take home. For some, these free fruits and veggies were an appreciated addition to their meals for the week. For others, the food was a stand-in for an empty stomach.

Although the mood of the market was made cheerful and light by the chattering of students and anticipation for the free food, the main purpose behind the market cast a heavy shadow that can’t be ignored. Unfortunately, some students who waited in line for their produce were there because they were in serious need. Compared to the often expensive prices of produce and other goods from local grocery stores, the free produce distributed by the market was something many students who struggle to provide for themselves couldn’t afford to turn down.

Seeing Baylor’s food insecurity issue acknowledged through the Free Farmer’s Market as a real, serious problem was a first for me here at Baylor. In high school, people would warn me jokingly of the all-too-frequent nights of ramen and macaroni and cheese that were to come when I would attend university. In passing, I’ve heard Baylor students make casual remarks about skipping meals on weekends. In dining halls, I’ve witnessed students sheepishly load their to-go boxes with whatever food they could fit for the long weekend ahead.

There’s no denying it: food insecurity is an issue for students on campus— 2,150 of them to be exact, according to The Store’s website. If such a sizeable number of students struggle with this issue, why is it that these students remain silent in their suffering?

Program manager for food insecurity and basic needs Lauren Da Silva said it’s because of shame — a result of the societal stigma that “pathologizes not being able to do it by yourself and not having all your ducks in a row at age 19.”

According to data The Store has gathered, Da Silva said 630 different students have visited The Store this semester — a number that is exponentially higher than numbers from previous years. Da Silva said she thinks they’ll peak at around 800 students this semester, for a total of around 1,000 students this school year.

“They think, ‘I must be the only person on this campus who can’t afford to eat every day or can’t afford to eat three meals a day or who’s struggling like this,’” Da Silva said.

Unlike domestic students, Da Silva said she has noticed international students have much less shame in making visits to The Store, displaying the difference in the way American society treats struggling students in comparison to other cultures. On a survey students take before gaining access to The Store, Da Silva said a common piece of feedback she has received is that students are glad The Store is hidden in the basement of the Sid Richardson Building.

“International students will come in with their grocery bags and walk out with them full, unashamed that they just took food,” Da Silva said. “Domestic students hide their food in their backpacks so they can walk out without anyone knowing.”

Da Silva said the stigma that all Baylor students come from wealthy families and never struggle to find their next meal is also a contributor to this shame and feeling of isolation.

At Baylor, a university that prides itself on its sense of community and kindness, no student should ever have to feel like they are the only one struggling with something like food insecurity. There needs to be more awareness and conversations about this issue in order to defeat the idea that Baylor is only for those who don’t struggle financially. Da Silva said the individual failure should not be felt by the student, but that it’s a systemic failure on the part of the university.

She said Baylor’s white-and-wealthy-focused design makes it even more difficult than it needs to be for students to obtain affordable food. Since Baylor’s campus is so isolated from the rest of the Waco community, students without cars can’t go grocery shopping without getting a ride or ordering online, which can rack up expenses in addition to the cost of the food, Da Silva said. Even the students who have friends with cars are often hesitant to ask for a ride due to shame or feeling like a burden, Da Silva said.

“There may be people in your circle who are struggling and are doing a very good job of hiding the fact that they’re struggling,” Da Silva said.

In order to fix this systemic failure, what Baylor needs to do is to ask itself how it can improve for these students. Resources like The Store are certainly helpful, but students shouldn’t have to rely on them in order to live well.

So, the Baylor community needs to help students with food insecurity feel like less of a burden, and more of an asset to our school. They are here for a reason: to learn and grow so that they can accomplish great things. At this moment in their lives, they could use a little help.

One way to help starts with students, Da Silva said. Students are welcome to donate food and funds to The Store. However, by simply offering to bring friends to local grocery stores or swiping the next person in line at the dining hall, students could help make a struggling peer’s life just a bit easier.

Olivia Turner is a sophomore from rural Minnesota, with a major in journalism and a secondary major in sociology. This is her second semester at the Lariat and her first semester as Opinion Editor. She is thrilled to take on this role and glad to be working with all the wonderful writers and editors at the Lariat again this year! Once she graduates, she hopes to be a writer for a big-city paper.