Pay what you feel

Paulina Longoria | THE RIDER

UTRGV’s Office of Professional Education & Workforce Development partnered with Baptist Student Ministry on its new Campus Food Security Initiative to offer affordable, fresh produce and healthy meals to-go every Friday.

The produce drive-thru location in Edinburg is in front of the BSM Globals building at 1605 W. Schunior St. and in Brownsville it is by the Interdisciplinary Academic Building courtyard. Both locations are open from 10 a.m. until noon.

 The meals to-go are only offered in Edinburg and those are also available from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Thursdays. Customers can donate what they can to pay for their purchase.

“Everything is a pay what you can basis,” said Larissa Cantu, a marketing senior and food promotions research assistant. “It’s affordable to students … they can pay $1 to $10, whatever they feel.”

The initiative “is part of the campus-based sustainable food systems, supported by the UTRGV’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Advancement (SARA), The Office of Sustainability, UTRGV Farm (Hub of Prosperity), and several student organizations,” according to the Professional Education and Workforce Development website.

“The mission of the initiative is to eliminate hunger within the students and the UTRGV community … by providing fresh produce … and meals,” Cantu said.

Cantu said the initiative was a stand when it started months back in March. But it has been converted into a drive-thru as a more efficient way to take precautions.

The initiative is divided in four teams with student employees and volunteers from BSM and the community.

The sourcing team purchases the produce, the food preparation team prepares the fresh meals, the promotional team advertises on social media and the food production team works on the Hub of Prosperity farm planting crops for the fall.

Carol Noe, a multidisciplinary studies junior and food production research assistant, said that the team’s expectations to work on the farm are to mow with a tractor, tillage, start planting and building a chicken coop and a wash station.

Karla Zurita, a nutritional sciences senior and food preparation research assistant, said part of her job is to find new recipe ideas and create the meals every Friday. 

“We really want to promote the nutritional aspect,” Zurita said. “We try to make it as fresh as we can.”

Claritza Molina, administrative associate for the Office of Professional Education & Workforce Development, said the produce is purchased from local farmers and local produce distribution companies such as, Grande Produce, Frontera Farmers Coalition and Nicho Produce.

Molina also said this initiative is sustained by the customer’s donations, but if someone can’t pay, they will still receive the products.

Asked about her thoughts of the initiative, Noe replied, “I love the fact that we’re going to be growing food for this place because my biggest gripe with the healthy food industry is: it costs so much. … This place, we’re bringing healthy food to people and …  it’s donation based.” 

For more information, visit the Instagram account @utrgv.cfsi and its Facebook UTRGV CFSI.