Less than two years after its launch, Nourish to Flourish –a student-led initiative at the University of North Florida–is making strides in the fight against food insecurity and childhood obesity in Jacksonville. 

Run by nutrition and dietetics students Jillian Groom, James Tra, and Hailey Pond, the program conducts hands-on food demonstrations for children ages 8 to 13, teaching them basic cooking skills using kid-safe equipment, educating over 200 students across various Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida.

“Not only are we demonstrating how to cook a meal for them, we have kid-safe food equipment so they’re able to make the meals along with us,” said Groom. “The goal is that they’re able to make the recipe and then use the food we send home with them so they can make it with their families.”

The project’s faculty advisor, Dr. Jamie Marchio, said the students have transformed the program into something even greater than when it first started. 

“Nourish to Flourish has blossomed into where it is today because of these students,” said Marchio. “They have taken it upon themselves and ran with it, so now it is a student-run program.”

Expanding their impact

In addition to their work for the community’s children, Groom, Tra and Pond are now turning their attention to hunger on college campuses—including here at UNF.

As college students themselves, the trio believes they are uniquely positioned to advocate for young adults. A study from the National Library of Medicine found that 11% of the 14,786 young adults surveyed were food insecure and more likely to report poor health.

“We’ve built a strong program, and there’s no reason it has to be limited to one age group,” said Groom. “We have the resources, so why not expand our advocacy to others too?”

While much of the group’s work is hands-on, Pond works behind the scenes to better understand students’ needs.

“I’ve been starting to research how prevalent this issue is at UNF, but also what other universities are doing to support students,” said Pond. “I’m working on a survey about emergency food access, especially for students who don’t have cars or can’t get to grocery stores.”

She hopes to distribute the survey once she receives approval, with the long-term goal of guiding improvements in campus food access policies and services. 

Though still in its early stages, Nourish to Flourish is already making a tangible difference, according to Marchio

“There’s still so much more we can do,” said Tra. “We plan on continuing our partnership with Feeding Northeast Florida and staying active and involved with the Duval Food Policy Council.”

Marchio also said the team also aims to grow their reach by collaborating with other departments across campus.

“These students are very passionate, but imagine if that passion were to double or triple,” he said. “The number of students pushing for the same things that have been done in just a few months have been mind-blowing.”

From Jacksonville to Washington, D.C. 

Recently, the students brought their message to the national stage. Groom, Tra, and Pond attended a national summit on food insecurity in Washington, D.C., from June 9 to 11, where they joined fellow college advocates in raising awareness about hunger among both children and college students. 

While in D.C., they met with lawmakers and shared insights gathered from their work on campus and in the community. Groom also served as a panelist to discuss the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its impact on student well-being. 

Before the trip, the team organized an “Offering of Letters” campaign, collecting handwritten notes of support to present to lawmakers during the summit. 

“This was really cool because we had something to physically show; that we’re not only representing ourselves here, but a larger group of people trying to advocate for more as well,” said Pond. “We had a larger voice, not just for us who were physically there, but also for the people who couldn’t.”

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