Nutrition Lounge Opens for BSU Students Through Food Lion Partnership

Campus Pantry Opening is Part of Food Lion's CIAA-related Activities

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University, in partnership with Food Lion, opened a new on-campus nutrition lounge today supplied with free, healthy foods, ensuring that no student goes hungry and setting them up for success. Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion’s hunger relief initiative, the retailer donated $10,000 to establish and equip the space.  

The Bowie State Nutrition Lounge will provide a place for students, especially commuters, to relax, study and have a place to access and enjoy healthy foods. The innovative space will provide fresh produce, a monitor to present nutrition education, tables and chairs, couches and microwaves, as well as shelves full of non-perishable items. The university is partnering with Capital Area Food Bank and a local Food Lion store to ensure the lounge is stocked regularly and abides by strict food safety standards.

A study released last year found that 45 percent of college students who participated in the survey of more than 100 institutions said they had gone hungry in the last 30 days, providing even more evidence that food insecurity among college students must be addressed. At Bowie State, many students only eat one meal per day, so having a lounge with fresh produce would allow them to receive a healthy snack during a long day.

“This gift from Food Lion Feeds, along with the ongoing partnership of Food Lion and Capital Area Food Bank, will make an incredible difference for our Bowie State students, who sometimes struggle to afford healthy food options,” said Brent Swinton, vice president of institutional advancement. “The Bowie State Nutrition Lounge is emblematic of the university’s mission. This campus community provides wraparound support to empower our students to reach their full potential. The nourishment and healthy foods provided in the Nutrition Lounge will empower our students to advance their academic success and personal well-being.”

The new lounge at Bowie State marks the sixth such space that Food Lion Feeds has established at Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) schools since 2015. Those pantries at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C, Winston-Salem State University in Winston Salem, N.C., and Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., and Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, N.C., have helped to feed students who faced food insecurity issues.

“As the official Grocery Partner of the CIAA and deeply committed to Bowie and the greater Baltimore community, we’re excited to join with Bowie State and help nourish students right on campus,” said Jason Bullock, Food Lion director of operations in the Bowie, Md., area. “Students should be focused on learning, not where their next meal will come from. Caring for our neighbors in the towns and cities we serve is important to us, so we’re excited about this new space to help nourish the Bowie State community.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.

About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has committed to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group. For more information, visit foodlion.com.