This past Spring 2024 semester at Hunter College, the NYC Food Policy Center was proud to partner with Share Meals to install two self-service, no-cost vending machines at the Silberman Campus as part of a pilot for our ongoing Smart Pantry program.
This coming Spring 2025 semester, the NYC Food Policy Center and Share Meals will be bringing this program back for students at Silberman.
The two vending machines are located in the basement of the Silberman Campus building, right outside the Food Lab, with a QR code posted on each one. Last Spring, student participants were able to scan the QR code and answer a brief survey at the beginning of the week in exchange for points to be spent at the vending machines.
Of these two machines, one is refrigerated and was stocked with fresh, local produce sourced via GrowNYC’s wholesale program as well as healthy prepared meals from e.terra, a community-based commercial kitchen located just across the street from the Silberman Campus in East Harlem.
Our other vending machine is more traditional, and was stocked with healthy, low- to no-sugar, shelf-stable snacks as well as upcycled soups from Matriark Foods, whose founder and CEO, Anna Hammond, was honored as one of our Changemakers this past June.
In addition to these vending machines, we partnered with Hunter College’s Department of Nutrition and Public Health in providing cooking demonstrations and classes hosted by our former Executive Director, Annette Nielsen. We were also happy to join the Department’s Wellness Fair with an herb garden demo, providing student participants with a brief tutorial in planting basil, cilantro, and parsley.
We can say with full confidence that our pilot was a resounding success, with no food going to waste and hundreds of students served. We’re looking forward to stocking the machines again this coming semester and putting on some classes as well!
Any students interested in interning with the NYC Food Policy Center and Smart Pantry for Spring 2025 are encouraged to reach out to us at info@nycfoodpolicy.org!
