Iowa State University student teams unveil solutions to local and global food insecurity

More than 925 million people across the globe suffer from chronic hunger, and more than 1.5 billion live every day in poverty. These powerful statistics drove over 100 Iowa State University students to team up and tackle the global problem of food insecurity.

On November 28, 20 cross-disciplinary teams of students assembled at the Student Innovation Center to compete in the Food Insecurity Challenge hosted by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, the Ivy College of Business, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Food Insecurity Challenge aims to bring awareness to the pressing issues of food insecurity, both globally and locally. The event is a campus-wide competition that challenges students to create innovative, impactful solutions that can be implemented in our local community.

After the challenge kick-off on November 6, where Walter Suza, George Washington Carver Endowed Chair and professor of genetics, agriculture, and biotechnology, shared his own experience working with programs such as the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund, Zimbabwe, the teams came back together to present their unique approaches to tackling food insecurity challenges within their community.

Walter joined the festivities for a second time as a judge at the finale presentations on Tuesday night.

Many presentations focused on how to combat hunger within our immediate community, the Iowa State campus. From creating an online marketplace that connects local farms with local consumers, to utilizing the MyState app to direct students to local food banks and provide healthy, low-cost recipes, the participants brought highly creative, bold, and tangible strategies to the table.

“Through this process, our team learned that tackling food insecurity does not take a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Everyone deserves quality food, and we think connecting consumers with local farms can be a step toward making that happen in the State of Iowa.” – Sam Martin, Animal Science ’25

After the preliminary round, the judges selected three runner-up teams, who each received a $500 prize, while three teams moved on to the finale.

April Lopez, Program Coordinator for the Iowa State SHOP (Students Helping Our Peers) food pantry within the Department of Student Wellness, shared remarks and sat as a judge for the finale. She was blown away by the student’s creativity.

The winning teams included:

• First place ($5,000)– Daniella Thuerauf (Global Resource Systems), Molly Simmons (Environmental Science), and Morgan Lang (Global Resource Systems) with “Student-Run Grocery Stores”; bringing fresh food to rural communities by establishing grocery stores within high schools and employing high school students.
• Second place ($2,500) – Guinevere Austin, Hala Deng (Biology), Taylor Moore (Food Science), Anvay Sane (Food Science), and Drew Sohl (Culinary Food Science) with “The Hunger Hub”; an extension of the Iowa State MyState app that makes information on food programs, pantries, and recipes more accessible for students.
• Third place ($1,500) – Brenna Hartse (Industrial Technology), Alyssa Rodriguez (HDFS), and Travis Schake (Dietetics) with “The Food Network Collective”; a database that provides college students with student-eligible resources, live updates from pantries, and volunteer/donation opportunities.

  

  First place team, from L to R: Molly Simmons, Daniella Thuerauf, and Morgan Lang.

  

  Second place team, from L to R: Drew Sohl, Guinevere Austin, Hala Deng, Anvay Sane, and Taylor Moore.

  
  
  

  Third place team, from L to R: Alyssa Rodriguez, Travis Schake, and Brenna Hartse.

The 2023 Food Insecurity Challenge was a huge success and continues to draw more students with highly impactful solutions, and even grander visions of a world full of food-secure communities. To support the Iowa State SHOP, please consider following SHOP on Instagram, donating or hosting a food drive.