Students donated over 500 meal swipes to Georgetown University community members experiencing food insecurity during a meal swipe drive March 25. 

Georgetown Students Advancing Food Equity (SAFE) partnered with Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit addressing hunger among college students, and Hoya Hospitality to plan the meal swipe drive. Students can donate their two guest meal swipes at Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall, Crop Chop, Royal Jacket, Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels, according to SAFE’s March 17 Instagram post advertising the drive. 

SAFE co-president Christina Rosamond (SFS ’24) said donating is a quick and easy way to support the Georgetown community.

“It’s such an easy thing that you can take five seconds of your day to do, and it really can make an impact for someone who might be facing food insecurity within our community,” Rosamond said in an interview with The Hoya. “I think this is just a really easy and meaningful way to support our community and be sure everyone is getting what they need.”

Students have expressed concerns about food insecurity on campus because of restricted dining hours and limited dietary options. In addition to the meal swipe drive, Hoya Hub, a free food pantry in Leavey 418, SAFE, and student-run GroupMe chats aim to alleviate food insecurity.

Donated swipes are redeemable at every location that currently accepts meal swipes, according to Abigail Orbe (COL ’23), SAFE co-president. 

“After spring break, students will be able to request a block of swipes,” Orbe wrote. “There will be iPads at the Center for Social Justice and the Hoya Hub (our on-campus food pantry) where students can fill out the request form, and within a few days, the block of swipes will be added to their meal plan.”

Christina Cordell (SFS ’25) saw a flyer advertising the drive and chose to donate her two guest meal swipes. 

“The donation process was super simple,” Cordell wrote to The Hoya. “At more busy or smaller dining locations it sometimes overwhelmed the flow of students but at Leo’s it was a breeze.”

The university provided logistical assistance in planning the drive, which last occurred in 2019 but did not take place in 2020 or 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a university spokesperson. 

“Here on campus, Georgetown works with students, including SAFE, and with Hoya Hospitality to facilitate the Swipe Out Hunger/Donate a Meal program,” the spokesperson wrote. “We provide technical assistance to facilitate the transfer of ‘swipes’ from donors to recipients.”

The collaboration between SAFE and Hoya Hospitality for the Swipe Out Hunger program in 2019 collected more than 1,600 donated meals, according to the university spokesperson.

This year’s meal swipe drive was supposed to be held Feb. 24, but Orbe said several complications forced SAFE to delay the program.

“We hoped to hold the drive earlier in the semester, but with in-person programming being suspended and some other logistic issues, we’ve had to push it back,” Orbe wrote. “After a few semesters off because of COVID, we’re aiming to bring that back and reinvigorate the program.”

Orbe said the guest swipes that students are allocated every semester typically go to waste, so the meal swipe drive acted as a way for students to donate the swipes instead. 

“The donation process is so easy, and many students’ guest swipes go unused during the semester,” Orbe wrote. “This is a great opportunity to help support our fellow Hoyas and improve food access on campus.”

According to Rosamond, Hoya Hub cannot meet student’s full demand. 

“The pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity issues on campus, and there’s disproportionate support especially for students living off campus,” Rosamond said. “For those that aren’t on a meal plan, it’s especially important that we make sure that they’re able to have resources to find their meals beyond what the Hoya Hub has.”

Cordell said that her meal plan allowed her to donate many meal swipes to a good cause.  

“As a freshmen, I have unlimited swipes which makes me super swipe happy—especially for a good cause,” Cordell wrote. “I would 100% participate in future drives!”