The partnership will ensure that the pantry, , will have a wider array of healthful items to choose from.

Dare to Care will help stock the pantry with frozen proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables, along with some non-perishable items.

The partnership will round out the Cardinal Cupboard’s offerings of donated non-perishables and personal hygiene items, along with foods from the, which collects leftovers on campus such as bagels from Einstein Bagels and pastries from Starbucks.

“The real beauty of the partnership is access to the protein and veggies,” said Kathy Meyer, coordinator for Student Leadership and Service.

Meyer said Dare to Care also has provided food safety training to the volunteers. 

“We’re learning so much through them; it’s a wonderful partnership,” she said. “It’s made such a difference in what we’re able to do here.”

The partnership was forged when UofL President Neeli Bendapudi connected with Dare to Care leadership at a community function.

Dare to Care partners with nearly 300 local social service agencies, such as food pantries, shelters and emergency kitchens to distribute food in the region.

“Our community founded Dare to Care 50 years ago and our community’s continuing passion to ensure everyone has the food they need to be healthy still fuels our ongoing innovations and new partnerships. In this spirit, we are thrilled and honored to partner with the University of Louisville on this new endeavor that will improve the health and the future of so many who are struggling to have a bright future,” said Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care executive director.

The food pantry recently moved to SAC W314, a roomier and more centralized location. It now boasts a refrigerator that was donated by the Department of Theatre Arts. 

The pantry is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. About 50 student volunteers staff the space, which is open to anyone on campus to take whatever they need.

Also beginning this semester, Aramark is donating 200 meal swipes (vouchers) to students in need. Students may apply for them through the . A committee will allocate the vouchers based on financial need.

Food insecurity has emerged a pressing issue in college campuses across the nation.

Last year, the federal government published a  on college students and food insecurity, recommending colleges and state agencies do a better job providing information that would help eligible students obtain assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

UofL brought the topic to the forefront last year in awarding its Grawemeyer Award in ����ֱ�� to Temple University’s Sara Goldrick-Rab. Her eye-opening research into the modern struggle to pay for college, published in her 2016 book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” details students’ struggles with not only tuition and books, but also food insecurity, homelessness and lack of transportation. Her nonprofit research center, the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, studies these issues to improve the lives of what Goldrick-Rab calls “#RealCollege students.”

“I’m delighted to see University of Louisville students acting to support their classmates’ basic needs,” Goldrick-Rab said. “For far too long, insufficient food and poor housing marked college life, undermining a learning experience that should be immensely rewarding. Louisville is a welcome addition to this national movement.”

Located in SAC W303C, the pantry will offer a variety of donated non-perishable goods, hygiene products and recovered foods. The hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Efforts to open the food pantry began last summer when students on the began discussing the issue of food insecurity. The Sustainability Council’s Free Store in Unitas Tower, offering no-cost clothing and household items as a way to encourage recycling, had been stocking some food items, but there wasn’t enough space for a full-fledged pantry.

Food insecurity is defined as “a lack of consistent access to healthy food options,” said Kathy Meyer, coordinator of student leadership and service and adviser to the Engage Lead Serve Board. “From our conversations, we shared general observations about the need for safe and easily accessible free food resources for students with limited funds. We also discussed opportunities to provide support and education about the importance of food sustainability and eliminating food waste on campus. As a group, we decided to focus on developing a campus food pantry, which the Student Government and the Engage Lead Serve Board were in full support of establishing.”

Last fall, . The network’s 230 nationwide chapters are aimed at combating hunger and food waste. As part of the network, students collected leftover food such as bagels from Einstein Bagels and delivered it to local food banks and shelters. The UofL chapter has recovered over 1,900 pounds of food, with some now going toward the food pantry.

Just last month, the federal government published a on college students and food insecurity, recommending colleges and state agencies do a better job providing information that would help eligible students obtain assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“In fiscal year 2017, the federal government spent over $122 billion in grants, loans and work-study funds through federal student aid programs to help make college accessible to students,” the study said. “This substantial federal investment in higher education is at risk if college students drop out because they cannot afford basic necessities like food.”

UofL brought the topic to the forefront last year in awarding its Grawemeyer Award in ����ֱ�� to Temple University’s Sara Goldrick-Rab. Her eye-opening research into the modern struggle to pay for college, published in her 2016 book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” details students’ struggles with not only tuition and books, but also food insecurity, homelessness and lack of transportation. Her nonprofit research center, the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, studies these issues to improve the lives of what Goldrick-Rab calls “#RealCollege students.”

“I’m delighted to see University of Louisville students acting to support their classmates’ basic needs” Goldrick-Rab said. “For far too long, insufficient food and poor housing marked college life, undermining a learning experience that should be immensely rewarding. Louisville is a welcome addition to this national movement.”

The honorees included a celebrated music composer, an advocate for the overhaul of college financial aid, an expert on African genocide, the founder of black liberation theology and a psychologist who explains the many types of intelligence.

Here’s a recap of the winners, their ideas, and what we learned during their Louisville visit:

Sara Goldrick-Rab, ����ֱ��

The idea: 2016 book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” followed thousands of college students throughout six years as they worked to earn a college degree. Some of the students succeeded, but many failed due to financial pressures. Goldrick-Rab is an advocate for free college and an overhaul of the financial aid system.

Did you know? Goldrick-Rab donated her $100,000 Grawemeyer Award prize to the Faculty And Students Together , a program that gets emergency dollars to college students. Also, during �ҴDZ����������-�鲹��’s visit, she was so impressed with the model that she will begin using it as an example of how universities can help students who are also parents.

Words of wisdom: “If we want hard work and talent to determine where people get in life, then we have to do more to address income disparity. We are going to need to expand educational opportunity. And that’s not a giveaway — because it has a huge return on investment.”

On winning the award: “It was rather stunning. They called and I cried. One of the reasons I cried was because I was looking for a way to put more resources into — now we have a really robust FAST Fund.”

James H. Cone, Religion

Cone was not able to travel to Louisville, but received the award in a private ceremony at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

The idea: 2013 book, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree,” examines correlations between the persecution of African American Christians and Jesus. Between 1880 and 1940, nearly 5,000 black men and women were lynched in the U.S. In response, African American Christians turned to their religion and to the cross of Jesus as a symbol of suffering but also of profound hope.

Did you know? Cone became a pastor at age 16 and is the founder of black liberation theology. His beliefs were shaped and influenced by Malcolm X, the Black Power movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Words of wisdom: “The crucifixion was clearly a first-century lynching. Both are symbols of the death of the innocent, mob hysteria, humiliation and terror. They both also reveal a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning and demonstrate that God can transform ugliness into beauty, into God’s liberating presence.”

On winning the award: “I’m deeply honored to be included among the distinguished scholars who have received this award before me. ‘The Cross and the Lynching Tree’ is my favorite book. I put my heart, soul, everything into that little text. I’m pleased that so many people have recognized something of the spirit, the energy and the spirituality that I put into it.”

Scott Straus, Ideas Improving World Order

The idea: 2015 book, “Making and Unmaking Nations: War, Leadership, and Genocide in Modern Africa,” examines how certain environmental and political situations can set the stage for genocide. His extensive research illuminates the unrest-to-violence-to-genocide process and gives leaders and agencies a guideline for stopping the unthinkable before it happens.

Did you know? Straus was formerly a freelance journalist in Africa following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. “My career has been about trying to understand how and why this happened,” said Straus. This desire to understand laid the foundation for his decades of research into African genocide.

Words of wisdom: “War is the cauldron in which genocide is formed. But you can interrupt the process. The idea (in my book) was to understand not just what drives the violence forward, but also what holds it back.”

On winning the award: “When I got the call from Chuck (Ziegler), it was just such an incredible honor — the culmination of my life’s work on this topic. If my book can make a contribution to a world where genocide is less frequent because we understand it better then, wow, that’s amazing. I would feel incredibly satisfied for my life’s work.”

Robert Sternberg, Psychology

The idea: Sternberg’s view is that success in life encompasses several components of intelligence: analytical-reasoning skills, creative-thinking skills, common-sense practical skills and wisdom-based and ethical skills. People who learn to capitalize on their own skills — and compensate for those that they lack—are likely to be successful. Sternberg is an advocate for revamping the college admissions process to recognize these nuances in intelligence because current methods favor only learners who excel at memory and analytical reasoning.

Did you know? Sternberg became interested in intelligence testing in elementary school after his poor performance on an IQ test caused his teachers to consider sending him to a lower grade to try again.

Words of wisdom: “Successful intelligence is what you make of your life. You need to figure out what you’re good at, and what you’re bad at, and capitalize on your strengths while remediating for your weaknesses.”

On winning the award: “Professionally, it’s great. It’s the highest award you can win in psychology and, personally, it means even more because I grew up in a family where both of my parents dropped out of high school and none of my grandparents went to high school.”

Bent Sorensen, Music Composition

The idea: composed his award-winning triple concerto, (The Island in the City), for the Danish ensemble Trio con Brio and The Danish National Symphony Orchestra. His inspiration for the piece came when he was standing on a balcony in Copenhagen and observed the ebb and flow of the city below him. “In all five movements the ‘island’ (the trio) tries to escape the shadows of the orchestra. This is most evident in the last movement, in which the trio ever so silently and without attracting any attention, simply glides away from the orchestra’s noisy shadows,” Sorensen wrote.

Did you know? Sorensen began to write music when he was in elementary school. He says his father wanted him to play the violin and then, later, the piano. “But I didn’t have the patience,” Sorensen said. He dedicated L’isola della Città to his parents.

Words of wisdom: “There is a magic in music that I can’t explain. It’s like love. Music is more psychology than sound. It’s what we feel.”

On winning the award: I was very honored because I can see the list of composers (who have previously won the award). When you get on that list, then you know you have done something.”

The Grawemeyer Awards, established by philanthropist Charles Grawemeyer, recognize outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology and education, and gives a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological. Winners of the award receive $100,000 each and attend a gala event in their honor.