Aramark Partners With Swipe Out Hunger, Expands Efforts to Address Campus Food Insecurity

PHILADELPHIA, October 10, 2019 /3BL Media/ - Aramark (NYSE:ARMK), the award-winning food and facilities partner of more than 400 colleges and universities across the U.S., is taking the lead in addressing food insecurity in the higher education space through a multiyear commitment to support Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit who partners with colleges and universities to provide financially and logistically efficient anti-hunger programs. 

Aramark is partnering with Swipe Out Hunger as a founding funder of its Research and Development (R&D) Lab, which seeks to surface and promote high impact, innovative solutions to address campus hunger. Aramark's support of the R&D Lab enables Swipe Out Hunger to create change across campus systems. This will include piloting cutting-edge projects on campuses, leveraging data and research and developing advocacy strategies to catalyze public funding for higher education basic needs programs.

“Swipe Out Hunger has been developing its meal swipe donation program since 2010 and now we're looking to provide support to campuses that complement and go beyond meal swipes,” said Rachel Sumekh, CEO and founder of Swipe Out Hunger. “Seventy two percent of students can eat more regularly after receiving swipes, so Aramark’s support allows us to go beyond that, and now provide resources and practices for building a campus where all students feel they are nourished for success.”

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Swipe Out Hunger,” said Jeff Gilliam, president of Aramark’s Higher Education business. “We have been working with our college and university partners to address this growing issue, and welcome Swipe Out Hunger’s collaboration and expertise to develop meaningful plans that better serve the needs of students on campus.” 

In addition to its partnership with Swipe Out Hunger, Aramark supports the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, based in Philadelphia, to drive innovative practice, evidence-based policymaking, and effective communications. The Hope Center conducted the most prominent and expansive research study dedicated to food insecurity on college campuses. Their research showed that one in three students are facing food insecurity nationally, and paved the way for students, university administrators, nonprofit partners and other stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue around the issue.