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Sage Kiernan-Sherrow<\/strong>\u00a0 | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Last week, from Feb. 24 to 28, was Food Insecurity Awareness Week at Western, which coincided with the Governor\u2019s Food Drive and the Food For Fines event. Students at Abby\u2019s House, who volunteer at the Food Pantry, planned educational events \u2014 like discussions about nutrition and sustainability \u2014 to bring awareness to food insecurity on campus and reduce the stigma related to it.<\/span><\/p>\n Rachel Bayly, the Community Coordinator for the Food Pantry, says she believes that Western is \u201calready a fairly aware campus,\u201d citing the two full barrels and three boxes of food collected for the Governor\u2019s Food Drive as proof that Western is aware of and is contributing to solutions regarding food insecurity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Western has been the highest contributing Oregon university to the Governor\u2019s Food Drive for the past 13 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, Western\u2019s food insecurity rate is higher than the national average, according to Bayly, and there\u2019s always ways in which the campus can improve its practices to reduce it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working with someone who\u2019s on the ASWOU Senate and works at Valsetz and she came to me because she was appalled with the amount of food that was thrown out there and wanted to see what we can do as far as a leftover program with the pantry or something like that,\u201d Bayly stated, adding that they\u2019re likely to bring this issue to the Head of Dining in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n According to Bayly, there is an additional plan to combat food insecurity through a bill in the Oregon House of Representatives, which ASWOU lobbyists are currently trying to push through in the short session.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you are struggling with it, it\u2019s not something to be ashamed of \u2026 There\u2019s a problem with the system and I hope that people can feel proud that they are a part of a community that supports that and access that resource when they need that and go on later to give back in whatever way they can,\u201d Bayly said.<\/span><\/p>\n Bayly stated that students interested in alleviating food insecurity on campus can help through volunteering at the Food Pantry, participating in food drives and being a supportive individual to anyone who is experiencing food insecurity by sharing the knowledge of the resources available one campus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n