Aladdin Supports Students with Food Insecurities “Supports Students During National Nutrition Month”

Aladdin Supports Bowie State University’s Nutrition Lounge

 

Canonsburg, PA. (March 12, 2020) –A 2018 study found that 36% of college students are experiencing food insecurities.  But there is help out there!  Students struggling to avoid hunger can find several resources to put food on the table while still completing their education.  Aladdin supports programs that address this issue at schools where they manage food service including Bowie State University, Evangel University and Urbana University.

Bowie State University in Bowie, MD, recently celebrated the grand opening of The Bowie State Nutrition Lounge in late February.  Sponsored by Food Lion Feeds, the Nutrition Lounge provides a place for students to relax, study and have a place to access and enjoy free healthy foods including fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks.

Aladdin, Bowie State University’s dining partner since June of 2019, is proud to support the efforts of the Nutrition Lounge with tips on healthy eating.   Alexa Rothstein, Aladdin dietitian on Bowie’s campus, says her job is to ensure that there are healthy food options on campus and in the dining halls.  Alexa also conducts one on one consultations with students to help them reach their wellness goals!   

For those students who don’t live on campus, Alexa is creating a plan to reach commuter students, students who don’t have a meal plan or on a limited food plan, in an effort to help them make healthier food choices.  Alexa will also offer recipes with the ingredients found in the Nutrition Lounge so that students can recreate healthy meals at home.

As the school’s proud dining partner, Aladdin provides greater flexibility in meal plan options and catering services, expanded dining hall hours as well as new late-night dining options. Aladdin’s commitment to customization also enables the university to meet changing student needs over time, including the mission of the Nutrition Lounge.

Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, together with its dining partner Aladdin, partnered with the International Institute of Southwest Missouri (IISMO) to provide tutoring services and reduced cost meals to students who receive IISMO services.

The IISMO organization provides resettlement and employment-related services to recently-arrived refugees, asylees and their families residing in and around Springfield, Missouri.  Between 15 and 20 students dine in the university’s Crusader Dining Hall every Tuesday evening just prior to attending their tutoring session.  “This meal is so very important to the students who would not have the opportunity to eat dinner,” says Joey Roberts, director of dining, Evangel University. 

Aladdin also partners with its client, Urbana University, to proudly support Empty Bowls, an annual event to raise awareness about the growing problem of hunger in Champaign County in Urbana, Ohio.

The event, held in late February, is a fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank of Champaign, Clark and Logan Counties offering patrons a beautifully hand-crafted ceramic bowl and a simple meal of soup and bread for $15 per bowl. The Aladdin team prepared two delicious soups and provided the staffing who served the soups in the bowls hand made by the students.

All proceeds benefit the Food Bank, which supports 10 Champaign County member agencies—all local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Second Harvest Food Bank collects, stores, and distributes over 600,000 pounds of food annually to these member agencies for distribution to hungry families and individuals throughout the county.

Aladdin also partners with the university on the Knight Cupboard, which is a small food pantry on campus to help alleviate food insecurity, as well as provides monthly donations such as individual packages of goldfish crackers, graham crackers, pudding packs, ramen noodles, granola bars, cans or soup and other grab-n-go items.

About Aladdin
Aladdin has more than 40 years of experience, and as part of the Elior North America family of brands, the company focuses on building strong client partnerships while leveraging the resources of our global organization. Our teams understand that enhancing the educational experience is more important than ever and we work to develop a comprehensive culinary management program to meet each client’s needs. Our programs focus on ways to engage and inspire students, staff, and guests by creating flavorful, high-quality, nutritious, made-from-scratch meals to fuel and energize growing minds each day. Aladdin is committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives by creating unique culinary experiences for each local community that we serve.

Scroll to Top