Food Insecurity Efforts
Sustainability Efforts
Seawolf Dining, managed by NMS, is committed to sustainability. In fact, it is an NMS core value: the environment will be protected and sustained. We are proud to be Green Star® certified since 2010, and throughout our partnership, we have made conscious, focused decisions to build upon our sustainable efforts:
2023: Traditional porcelain serving ware, silverware and glassware are reintroduced at Creekside Eatery after labor and attendance levels returned from the covid pandemic challenges.
2018: Deploy fully biodegradable cutlery and paper straws at retail outlets on campus. Compostable materials reduce landfill waste.
2017: Serve local! We source local vegetables from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, supporting the local economy and reducing the use of fossil fuels required for transporting produce to Alaska. Some of our farms include Moon Stone Farms and co-op Arctic Harvest Deliveries. Our main suppliers include Charlie's Produce and DiTomaso's, who source local produce for us.
2015: Launch the OZZI program in Creekside Eatery – a system through which we remove disposable clamshell holders and provide students with green, reusable food containers to take their food to go.
2015: Recycle cooking oil to be converted into bio-diesel fuel.
2015: Eliminate the use of Styrofoam on campus!
2015: Offer a discount for reusable cups in all our coffee shops.
2015: Distribute Xpressnap napkin holders around campus, which reduces waste by dispensing only one napkin at a time and encouraging students and faculty/staff to only take what they need. Napkins in the dispensers are made from recycled materials and are ECOLOGO® certified.
2015: Local partnership with Alaska owned Kaladi Brothers Coffee to be our main espresso provider on campus. We're proud to partner with an alumni-owned company that roasts it's beans here in Anchorage.
2009: Join hundreds of schools and universities across the U.S. to eliminate trays from cafeterias, reducing several thousand pounds of food waste annually. As diners now take a single plate, returning for seconds if desired, rather than piling food on several plates, bowls, and cups on a plastic cafeteria tray, much of which would go to waste.
2009: Partner with UAA recycle crew to compost pre-consumer vegetable waste.
2000: Recycle cardboard - as the capabilities became available in Anchorage, Seawolf Dining implemented a process for its locations across campus.
Prior to 2000: work with companies that share a commitment to sustainability, such as Ecolab, which finds fresh solutions to deliver clean water, safe food, abundant energy, and a healthy environment while saving water, energy and reducing waste.
Food insecurity on campus is a quiet battle, and Seawolf Dining proudly assists on-campus organizations in fighting hunger on campus. A study done in 2019 showed that food insecurity in Anchorage is roughly 12%. According to the UAA Seawolf Food Pantry, managed by the Dietetics and Nutrition faculty, nearly 45% of students experience some food scarcity.
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In 2008 USUAA and Seawolf Dining partnered up and created the Community Thanksgiving Meal, otherwise known as the Fall Feast Event. This event was held at Creekside Eatery until 2019 before the worldwide pandemic. This year the Fall Feast was held the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday and served approximately 200 community members.
In 2017 Varsity Sports Grill partnered with the Food Bank of Alaska and donated 10% of one night’s revenue to the Food Bank of Alaska. This event was known as Dine Out Against Hunger.
Seawolf Dining Efforts
In 2019 Seawolf Dinging launched the Swipe Away Hunger campaign. This opportunity allowed students with unused meal swipes to donate them to fellow students experiencing food insecurity. The swipes were provided to the UAA Student Health and Counseling Center to distribute the free meals. This program was paused through the pandemic and
reinstated in 2022.
Before the pandemic, Seawolf Dining would provide free soup each Wednesday for free distribution at the Health and Counseling center. It also contributed grab-and-go items
regularly for distribution.
Seawolf Dining and Catering support hunger issues on campus is a financial donation, up to $10,000, is made each year from catering revenues to support hunger on campus.
Seawolf Dining's efforts to fight hunger on campus continue as new needs, and opportunities are available.
Please visit the housing desk if you have extra meal swipes that you'd like to donate before they expire. Please see the UAA Student Health and Counseling Center to donate or find food resources.
Throughout the years, Seawolf Dining has hosted food drives for the school pantry. In 2022, Seawolf dining hosted a food drive with locations at Kaladi Brothers Coffee next to the Consortium Library and at Bear Necessities in the Gorsuch Commons. In exchange for a complimentary 16 oz coffee beverage, students and staff helped overflow the food bins with their donations.
Annually, Seawolf Dining teams up with UAA's Health and Counseling Center and donates free soup and rolls to hand out at Rasmussen Hall during finals week.