Social Work News

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Aakanksha Sinha

November 12, 2019

Faculty spotlight Dr. Sinha

 

 

 

Dr. Aakanksha Sinha

 

A recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (Jan, 2019) indicated that more than 50% of college going students are at risk of not getting a meal. Another study by University of Washington highlighted that approximately 20% of college students were food insecure. Our very own Seattle U students conducted a small pilot study as a part of their UCOR class where they found that 1 in 3 students have experienced hunger and were unable to access a meal. 

Based on the growing concerns around access to food, Spice Waala (a social impact business) conducted a “Pay it Forward” event where any customer could donate $1 towards a free meal for any college student. The student just needs to show their ID or a valid Spice Waala coupon and redeem an item which is sufficient for 1 meal for them. We were able to raise funds to serve 235 students. The coupons are going to be available at Universities and other social service organizations that college students access.

Excellent work, Dr. Sinha, Seattle University students, and Spice Waala!