Page 41 - Campus Technology, May/June 2020

Project lead Abraham Cereno
studying for three mid-terms and finals, but I have not eaten for the last 24 hours because my meal plan has depleted and Pantry \[UC Merced’s free food bank for students in need\] is closed for the day,’” recounted Cereno. “This is one example of the challenges our students face every term. Students who are food insecure tend to suffer academically as a result. As students and university staff, it is our responsibility to help others around us and make the campus as prosperous as can be. One main way we can do that is by eradicating hunger throughout the campus and help all students focus on academics.”
To access iCare, users log in to the secure iCatCard campus card system portal via desktop, tablet or smartphone. They can then confidentially donate or request funds for use
In its first two years since launch, iCare provided a total of $247,198 in meal funds (or 39,552 individual meals) to students in need.
Statistics have shown that nearly 60 percent of students have experienced food insecurity at
“We must find whatever is in our power to help our students stay on course. If that is alleviating student hunger, then we need to continue to be creative and find ways to make an impact.”
at any dining location on campus. Built-in safeguards prevent users from over-donating or taking advantage of the program. In order to donate, students must have an active meal plan with enough funds for themselves to last through the full semester. Students requesting funds must have a balance of less than $50, and are eligible to receive $125 (equivalent to a week’s worth of meals) at a time, no more than three times per semester. Approval of student requests is subject to availability of funds in the donation pool. Administrators can track all usage data — demographics, trends in student donations and requests, etc. — through iCare’s integration with the university’s CBORD-based campus card system.
some point while being enrolled, according to Cereno. That can include not only students who have run out of funds on their meal plan, but also students who are homeless, can’t afford healthy foods, come from low-income families, have strict dietary restrictions or health disorders, struggle to balance a full schedule of school and work, and more. “If resources to manage students’ emergency needs are not put into place in time and appropriately, they may leave school for the semester, and then they might never come back,” he said. “We must find whatever is in our power to help our students stay on course. If that is alleviating student hunger, then we need to continue to be creative and find ways to make an impact.”
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