Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.05
Liaison Konrad Schlarbaum
Submission Date Feb. 15, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Colorado Colorado Springs
IN-47: Innovation A

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Sean Svette
Instructor | RD DPD/ISPP Program Coordinator
BethEl College of Nursing and Health Science - Human Physiology and Nutrition
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Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Food Next Door Farm Subscription Program

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
We, the SWELL initiative at UCCS, realized the impact of COVID-19 on our students and local community. That is why we decided to tackle food insecurity and food literacy by providing students and community members with locally-grown nutritious food. This is why we decided to create our Food Next Door (FND) Farm Subscription Program, to help fight hunger, promote healthy food access, boost food literacy, and support regional farmers and ranchers in our community.

This Program works in four-week increments and will run until December 2020. You buy a subscription for four weeks (renewable after the first four weeks) and get a weekly Food Next Door Farm Bag filled with 100% locally sourced produce, herbs, grain/flour, beans, cheese, eggs, and meat from Southern Colorado's farmers and ranchers. Food Next Door Farm Bags will be washed at the Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center, and reused to support sustainability efforts.
A key ingredient of the weekly subscription program is food literacy. Every week we will pair scientific yet practical online farm and food literacy talks, with cooking baking, and our SWELL recipes and creations with the weekly foods you receive. To help students, UCCS staff, faculty, and community members have the opportunity to help support a student by paying a premium, or even covering the cost of a box for a student.
These items will be able to be picked up at our new Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center at the Sports Nutrition Lab. Social distancing practices will be implemented during pickup.
Food for our program is purchased from Taproot Cooperative in the San Luis Valley. Taproot Cooperative represents between 60-70 Southern and Southwestern Colorado producers, who grow fresh produce, grains, beans eggs, cheese, and meats.

Optional Fields

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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None
The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Press release:
UCCS student initiative provides sustainable food subscription program

https://scribe.uccs.edu/uccs-student-initiative-provides-sustainable-food-subscription-program/

More information about the innovation:
https://foodnextdoor.ecwid.com/

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