Delgado Schedules Community Discussion of College Student Food Insecurity

April 30, 2019

Delgado Community College this week is hosting a community meeting of concerned stakeholders and experts to examine the impact of food insecurity on college students.

The event is scheduled on Friday, May 3, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the Lac Maurepas room of the Student Life Center on the Delgado City Park Campus.

Delgado has invited representatives from local two-year and four-year higher education institutions to join in the conversation, and community partners with a vested interest in the subject will enrich the dialogue.

Dr. William Wainwright, interim chancellor of Delgado Community College, will participate and will welcome those attending, and Dr. Arnel Cosey, Delgado vice chancellor for student affairs, will open the discussion.

 “Learning feeds the mind and the intellect--but without food for the body, learning cannot nourish the healthy, happy lifestyles we want to see every one of our students enjoy,” said Wainwright. “I am very proud of the efforts spearheaded by the Delgado Student Affairs staff to deal with food-related issues among students in our Delgado community. Delgado Community College looks forward to working with our higher education and public health partners to end food insecurity among all college students in the New Orleans region. The accomplishments of this new consortium will have a lasting impact for generations to come,” said Wainwright.

“The response from our peer institutions has been extremely supportive and is confirmation that this is a timely and necessary conversation,” said Cosey.

Dr. Corey Hebert, local physician, journalist and educator, will speak about the importance of healthy living—specifically, how healthy eating leads to a quality lifestyle and academic success.

After the discussion, Delgado will begin working with peers and partners to form a citywide higher education food insecurity council that will enhance existing efforts and find additional ways to confront the challenge. 

National policy thought leaders from The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) will assist with developing the framework to move the initiative forward.

In addition to Delgado hosts Wainwright and Cosey, confirmed participants include:

Ahoefa Agbobli

Delgado Community College Student

Amy Cable, Ed.D., M.P.A.

Executive Director of Enrollment Management, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Dennis Kalob, Ph.D.

Economic Policy Specialist, Jesuit Social Research Institute/Loyola University

Walter Kimbrough, Ph.D.

President, Dillard University

Korey Patty

Executive Director, Feeding Louisiana

Tina Tinney, Ed.D.

Chancellor, Nunez Community College

Carrie R. Welton

Policy Analyst, Income and Work Supports, The Center for Law and Social Policy (Washington, D.C.)

Senior administrators, faculty, staff and students from Dillard University, Loyola University, Nunez Community College, Tulane University, the University of New Orleans and Delgado Community College are also slated to participate.