Colleges Building Community
An engaged community can bring about change
10,000 Meals
Aug. 23, 2018
4 colleges. 220 students. 10,000 meals. Fewer hungry families.
Students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), Keystone College, Lackawanna College and the University of the Sciences spent the day at GCSOM on Aug. 23, 2018, taking the first steps toward building a living case study centered on how food insecurity impacts community. From nutrition and education to food deserts to the economics of nutrition and healthcare, the students studied existing research and ways to make positive change.
Partnering with Geisinger’s Springboard Healthy Scranton initiative and local nonprofit, Here for a Reason, students assembled 10,000 meals to be distributed to families with children at schools in the Scranton School District. At the schools targeted, a staggering 100 percent of enrolled children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, increasing the likelihood that their families struggle with food insecurity – a serious obstacle to learning, as well as a social determinant of health well within the power of communities to change.
Healthy Food Fest
April 6, 2019
On April 6, 2019, students took the next steps toward making our neighborhoods hunger-free zones with Colleges Building Community's "Healthy Food Fest," a fun, interactive event for Scranton School District families.
Children and parents alike enjoyed an afternoon filled with giveaways, interactive activities, games, cooking demonstrations and cookbooks chock-full of healthy recipes. The festival aimed to help parents by providing fresh produce and connecting them with resources, as well as educate children about making better food choices.
25,000 Meals
Sept. 5, 2019
On Sept. 5, 2019, students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), Keystone College, Marywood University, Lackawanna College, University of Scranton and the University of the Sciences spent the day at GCSOM creating a living case study centered on how food insecurity impacts community and then packaged 25,000 meals to be distributed to families in the Scranton School District.