College food insecurity is a problem that is taking over a significant number of students' lives in the United States. It is said that approximately 20%-33% of all college students across four-year college campus experience this. It can come from a plethora of places, too.
Many students spend so many hours of their day working and studying that they don't think about where their next meal will come from, and will often go to bed hungry because they cannot afford a nutritious, substantial meal. Let's face it. Ramen noodles can be a delicious meal for any time of day, I've had them at 11:30 in the morning for a late breakfast AND 1:00 in the morning as a late night snack, but diversity in your diet is something that everyone could use. LastCall is a program that wants to attempt to nip college food insecurity in the bud, or at least attempt to do so.
Why is the Issue of Food Insecurity Important?
Many people may not know about food insecurity, while many more people are dealing with it than you may think. On my campus, for example, many of the food stores will raise the price of what they sell in order to make money. This can be problematic for students because a microwave meal that is supposed to save us money is suddenly raised in price because the store itself needs to make money. While many campuses do have food pantries, sometimes it's easier to have something fresh and already made, but then the issue of cost comes in and sometimes it's easier to make something that maybe isn't as good for you because it's faster, and the local Sweetgreen or Cava is too expensive. Students need to be open to talking about their food insecurity in order to learn that it's more of a problem than people may think. LastCall aims to help students with this problem
So, What is Last Call Anyway?
How many times does a Chipotle burrito bowl sound too good to be true, literally, because it's too expensive? LastCall gets this, and they're here to help! At the end of normal business hours for a popular restaurant, LastCall will post on their Facebook about extra food on discount. So for example, Chipotle has 15 extra bowls that they're selling for $4 instead of $8. This will provide people with a nutritious meal that they don't even have to cook or prepare! This will also aid in eliminating food waste because the deals provide incentive to eat what food a restaurant would otherwise have thrown out at closing.
Here is LastCall's website again in case you need some more information. Food insecurity is a problem that affects many, but can be solved, or at least lessened, with LastCall. If you suffer issues with food insecurity, know that you're not alone and that there are resources that can help you. Last Call is just one of many. Let's come together to solve the problem of food insecurity, and maybe save the planet while we're at it.