Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as meaning "consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year" (usda.gov). In Comanche County, where Cameron University is located, 23,540 people are affected, or 18.8% of the total county population (feedingamerica.org). The national average is 14.3% (ers.usda.gov).

In the Spring of 2013, administrators at Cameron saw this need on our own campus and searched for a way to address this concern. Representative from the Campus Life Office spoke with the director of the Lawton Food Bank to assess our options and get some feedback from her. Based on this conversation, we came up with three options to explore.

The first option would be for us to have a complete food bank for our students on campus. This would have required us to contact the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to determine if we could serve as a "satellite" location for the Lawton Food Bank. We would pay for and receive our food through the Lawton Food Bank and be in charge of determining who was eligible for that food, who would receive the food, how much they receive and how often. We would also have been in charge of staffing the location. In order to make this option work, we would have to prove to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma that we were not duplicating the services of the Lawton Food Bank. This option did not work for us as we did not have the space, the staffing, or the budget available to properly implement the program. Additionally, we felt that this option would be in conflict with the great work that the Lawton Food Bank does and we did not want to do that.

The second option we considered was contacting the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to see if they were interested in expanding a program currently available in senior living areas. The Regional Food Bank currently drives a bus from Oklahoma City to the Lawton area and delivers food to the Senior Living Areas in town. We would contact them about serving as a pilot program to include Cameron University on their stops. We did not feel this option best fit our student needs. We were unaware how many students would take advantage of the program and we did not want to enter into a partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma if we didn't know exactly how our students would respond.

Our final option would allow us to serve as a collection and distribution point for our students with food from the Lawton Food Bank. Students would be required to fill out the paperwork required by the Lawton Food Bank and they would process it in their system. (Most Lawton Food Bank requirements are easily met by full-time students.) We would ensure the applications got to the Lawton Food Bank and we would then pick up the boxes of food from the Lawton Food Bank and distribute them to the approved students. Our conversation deemed this as the best option for us. It was the best place for us to start to determine what kind of need we had. It was also the option that was the easiest to start. If we outgrew this option and had too many students to accommodate or became a drain on the Lawton Food Bank, we could always look at expanding our program to one of the other options.

The Lawton Food Bank @ CU (or LFB@CU for short) was launched in the fall of 2013. The Lawton Food Bank provides all necessary paperwork to the Campus Life Office at Cameron University which processes the applications. Students must fill out an application and bring the following information in order to complete the application: a current enrollment schedule, a government-issued picture ID (can be a Cameron student ID), and proof of address. Any part-time student must also provide a proof of income.

The Lawton Food Bank processes paperwork by household, not individuals. So, if multiple students are living together in the same household, they must apply for the program together. It works the same for students who may have children, are married, or are living with their family. In order to complete the application the following information must be supplied for all applicants: a current enrollment schedule for all members of the household that are Cameron students, a government-issued picture ID for all adults, and an ID for all children in the household.

In an effort to streamline the process and be efficient, distribution dates are set up dates in advance with the Lawton Food Bank. Paperwork is processed every 3 weeks while recipients are eligible every 6 weeks (that is a requirement set by the Lawton Food Bank). Applications are due to our office by 4 p.m. Tuesday. A representative from the Campus Life Office makes the proper copies and assures that all necessary paperwork is provided. The office then forwards the completed applications to the Lawton Food Bank, where they are processed in their system. On Friday, a representative of the Campus Life Office goes to the Lawton Food Bank to pick up the food and bring it back to campus for distribution. Applicants can pick up the food in the Campus Life Office between 10:30 a.m. and 1p.m. If students do not pick up the food, it is taken back to the Lawton Food Bank.

One of our biggest struggles has been advertising. We don't necessarily want to put up large signs advertising free food to students. We have had to be a little more circumspect in getting the word out. We had a student graphic designer create bookmarks which had all the application information and requirements. These were placed in mason jars with bows and handed out to Departmental Deans, Chairs, and other Directors on campus. This allowed the administrators to hand the bookmark to a student when the issue may have been brought up in conversation. Additionally, we keep these bookmarks stocked in gathering places on campus so students can pick one up. Also, we send an e-mail each semester to Deans, Directors, and Chairs to remind them of the program.

In an effort to help the Lawton Food Bank and give back a little, we try to do a food drive once a year that helps stock their shelves. They are also a frequent volunteer location for our student groups and athletic teams.

We have not had an overwhelming success with the program. We have a few students that use it on a regular basis (every 6 weeks when they are eligible), but we have not had more than 6 applicants in any one week. On our side, we need to better educate our students about how to use the food from the Lawton Food Bank. They see the date on the bread is past due and think it is bad. We have to let them know that it has been frozen and is still okay to eat. There also may be items in their basket that they do not know how to use or cook. We need to be better about encouraging them to do a little research.

Overall, this program has been a success, but we still have some work to do. It seems to fit the needs of our students and has a lot of room to grow.