Welcome to the Student Food Insecurity Resource Card online! Read to learn more about the resources Carleton provides to students experiencing food insecurity and ways students can get involved in addressing food insecurity on campus.

Ways You Can Get Involved on Campus

If you are passionate about tackling food insecurity on campus, here are some campus clubs/projects you might like to join or participate in:

  • Swipe Out Hunger organizes termly Café Fasts wherein student meal swipes are converted into monetary donations from Bon-Appétit that support students facing food insecurity. 
  • Food Recovery Network recovers surplus food from the dining halls, transports it, and donates it to end users in the Northfield and Faribault area.
  • The Carleton Cupboard provides non-perishable food items to students during academic breaks when the campus dining halls are closed. You can donate food M-F between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Student Activities Office (room 051), in the lower level of the Sayles-Hill Campus Center. 
  • Empty Bowls donates all proceeds of their Spring soup fundraiser to the Northfield Community Action Center’s food shelf.

FAQ about Food Insecurity at Carleton

What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity is defined as not having reliable access to nutritious food.

How many students at Carleton experience food insecurity? 

In a 2018 CSHS Questionnaire, within the past 12 months

  • 9% of students reported worrying about whether their food would run out before they got money to buy more and 
  • 6% reported the food they bought didn’t last and didn’t have money to get more 

How does Carleton support students who identify as food insecure?

Carleton provides emergency funding to students, disperses meal vouchers, and runs the Carleton Cupboard. 

How can I get involved?

Consider donating your meal swipe to Swipe Out Hunger, volunteering with Food Recovery Network, and/or donating to the Carleton Cupboard.

– Survey administered by Andrew Farias ’21 as part of a project for the Career Center’s Gettysburg Leadership Seminar Program.

Do you face food insecurity on campus?

Here is a step-by-step guide to how to getting support at Carleton and in the community.

  1. Reach out to the Dean of Students Office. Submit an Emergency Funding Request Form or stop by the Dean of Students Office in Severance Hall, Suite 110 to set up a meeting to discuss hardships you may face in obtaining reliable access to nutritious food.
  2. Meet with the Dean. The Dean can provide resources in the form of meal vouchers to receive food in the dining halls.
  3. Seek additional community resources. Visit the Community Action Center of Northfield, which offers the following resources at their address: 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200.

Be on the lookout for free snacks and meals

  • Donuts and Conversation: Free coffee and donuts in CCCE on even week Fridays from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Monday Funday: Free snacks in the Career Center on odd week Mondays from 2:30-4:00 p.m.
  • Bagel Study Break: Free bagels on fourth libe during reading days.
  • Tea Breaks: Tea and food provided at CS Tea Talk (Thursdays, 4:00 p.m. in CMC 301), Tea-ology (Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. in Chapel Lounge), and Tea Time (Fridays, 4:30 p.m. in GSC). 
  • Free Food Google Group: Sign up to freefood.group@carleton.edu and get notified about free food that is leftover from campus events, and email the list whenever you see leftover food available.
  • Carleton Opossum Society: A Facebook group for food items that cannot be donated to a food shelf but are in good enough condition to be eaten by others.
  • Free donuts in the Writing Center during Convocation on Fridays.
  • Convocation Lunch: Free meal after Friday Convocation. Visit the Convocations website for more information.
  • Dacie Moses House Brunch: Free brunch every Sunday (including over breaks!) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 
  • Late-Night Breakfast in LDC: Free breakfast the night before finals begin.
  • External Review Sessions: Usually offer free food if you attend and provide comments on how an office is doing

Be on the lookout for free meals over break

Check out the following resources available to students during breaks as well.

Over Breaks:

  • Carleton Cupboard: Provides food items in lower Sayles (Room 020) to students during breaks when the dining halls are closed.
  • Dean of Students Office: Publishes a spreadsheet during breaks where students can sign up for meals hosted by faculty staff.
  • Alumni Council: Hosts a Winter Break Campus Meal for students and alumni

Off-Campus Locations:

  • Community Action Center (CAC) Food Access Location in Northfield Community Ed Center (NCEC): This resource is located at 700 Lincoln Parkway, in the former Greenvale elementary building (about 1.0 mile from campus), and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm-7pm.
  • CAC Food Access Location in Northfield Community Resource Center (NCRC): Located at 1651 Jefferson Pkwy (about 1.4 miles from campus) and open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 6:30pm. Call 507.664.3585 for more information.
  • Northfield Food Shelf: Provides a variety of quality food and non-food items. Hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 5 p.m., Tues 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Thurs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Sunshine Café- FiftyNorth: Located on 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Hiawatha Red route stop 3, this spot provides a cheap hot and healthy lunch from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m M-F.
  • NCEC Food Shelf: Located at Greenvale Park Elementary School, this student-run food shelf provides high quality food and basic necessities.
  • Hours: Tues: 8am to 10 a.m., Thurs 4p.m to 7p.m