The initiative, a partnership between Cal Poly Corporation and the Basic Needs Initiative, relies on donations from students’ dining plans to distribute to students struggling with food security.
When the school year ends, students’ unused Dining Dollars are automatically reabsorbed into the Cal Poly Corporation that runs Campus Dining. The only way to keep that leftover money is with the purchase of a new meal plan for the next school year.
But there is one other place surplus dollars can go: Mustang Meal Share.
More than 30% of freshman during 2021-22 had money left over at the end of the year but did not buy a new dining plan, meaning they forfeited more than $300,000 in remaining Dining Dollars back to Cal Poly Corporation.
“Some people think that doesn’t seem right,” Aydin Nazmi, the coordinator of Cal Poly’s Basic Needs Initiative, said. “‘I paid for it, I didn’t use it but I’m not getting it back.’”
This is why when Nazmi started the Basic Needs Initiative in 2016, he helped pioneer the Mustang Meal Share program, which lets students donate those surplus dollars to other students instead.
Here are the main things to know about the program.
How much of my Dining Dollars can I donate?
This year, Nazmi said, Cal Poly Corporation has lifted the restriction on how many Dining Dollars students can donate.
Previously, students could only donate $195 per year to the program. That’s enough for 30 meals, according to Cal Poly Corporation, assuming a meal costs $6.50.
But Cal Poly Corporation changed their guidelines, letting students donate as much money as they want.
“It’s a good deed,” Nazmi said. “You’re not going to get it back anyway, and the alternative is Cal Poly Corporation is going to absorb that money.”
Students who purchase a new dining plan and get to roll over their Dining Dollars can still donate a portion to Mustang Meal Share.
How do the meal vouchers work?
Dollars donated to the Mustang Meal Share are distributed as “meal vouchers” — money loaded directly onto their PolyCards — to students with “extreme financial need,” according to Basic Needs.
Students can receive $75 per quarter in meal vouchers while undocumented students can get up to $100. They can use the money to purchase food at Vista Grande, Campus Market, Red Radish, Mustang Station and Poly Canyon Market.
What happens to Mustang Meal Share dollars at the end of the year?
Meal vouchers on a student’s PolyCard roll over to the next quarter, but not to the next year. Any funds remaining at the end of the year go back into the program to be reallocated to other students in need.
All donated dollars that weren’t used during the 2022-23 school year will go toward funding meal vouchers during the 2023-24 school year, according to Cal Poly Corporation.
How can I donate?
Students can donate to Mustang Meal Share by completing this online form. The form asks for Cal Poly account information and the donation amount, allowing Campus Dining to distribute the Dining Dollars to Mustang Meal Share.
More than a third of Cal Poly students experience food insecurity
According to Cal Poly’s Basic Needs Report, about 39% of Cal Poly students reported experiencing food insecurity in 2022 — up from 27% in 2018.
Food insecurity among US households hovers around 11% on average, according to Nazmi, but on college campuses, that number is closer to 30%.
“We think about our stereotype: Cal Poly is a school for rich kids,” Nazmi said. “It’s actually more difficult to come out at Cal Poly as needing resources, support, because it seems like there are so few of you. But the fact is, it’s really not.”
Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk for health conditions such as heart disease and mental health disorders, according to the National Institute of Health. Mustang Meal Share, Nazmi said, is one way to bolster food security on campus.
“When students fall through the cracks in terms of basic needs — if they’re sleeping in a campground or in their car, if they’re not getting enough food to sleep properly or stay awake — our educational mission is completely moot,” Nazmi said. “You can’t tutor your way out of food insecurity. If you can’t eat, you can’t study.”
Got more questions? The Dean of Students office can answer more questions about the program via email at deanofstudents@calpoly.edu or over the phone at (805) 756-2472.
Other local food resources include the Cal Poly Food Pantry (which is available to all students with no questions asked), CalFresh grocery stipends and the SLO Food Bank.