NOVA Awarded Food Grant to Support Hunger Relief Efforts

The NOVA Educational Foundation was recently awarded a grant to support the College’s work on hunger relief efforts in response to the Anthem BC/BS Foundation’s Hunger Relief Grant Program. The NOVA Foundation received the maximum award of $8,000. The grant, made possible through the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE), will allow the College to move forward on providing NOVA students access to hot, healthy foods while on campus. Providing students access to a warm meal will complement the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food-purchasing assistance but has restrictions on hot, prepared foods.

The plan outlines distributing a total of 800 hot meals–400 meals in fall 2021, and 400 meals in spring 2022–to students who complete an online application for access to these meals. Students will be allowed to apply for the hot, prepared foods award once a semester, and Pell-eligible students will have priority for this program. Once approved, the funds will be added to a student’s NOVA ID card, which doubles as a food access card called the Ace Card. Students will be able to use the funds for food at our Nighthawk Cafés and Bookstore cafes.

Any unused grant funds will be converted into grocery gift cards and distributed in November and May. Each recipient will also receive a nutrition fact sheet and contact information for other campus programs and resources. 

This effort is in collaboration with CCAMPIS, our new student-parent program, the NOVA Educational Foundation, Financial Stability & Advocacy Centers and the Recreation and Wellness department. 

The grant opened Monday, October 11, 2021. Students can apply using this link: https://dashboard.nvcc.edu/Grants/345-001/Default.aspx

For questions about this grant, please contact Diana Yacob.

Submitted by:
Diana Yacob, CCAMPIS Project Director, at dyacob@nvcc.edu