Founded in 1993, the MSU Student Food Bank was the first in the nation to be run by students, for students. The MSU Student Food Bank was founded to help students who are dealing with food insecurity. Food insecurity refers to having limited food availability with a reduction in the quality or variety of food intake, that often results in disrupted eating patterns. A lack of food security can be a considerable obstacle to academic success.
The MSU Student Food Bank is a non-profit and depends on financial support to provide services year-round to MSU students. The Food Bank's relationship with the Greater Lansing Food Bank allows it to purchase food at a lower cost, allowing donations to go much further. With little overhead cost, the Food Bank is able to make the most of every dollar.
In the course of one year, the MSU Student Food Bank serves over 6,000 students, many with families, and distributes over 110,000 pounds of food.
The MSU Student Food Bank is also a founding member of the College and University Food Bank Alliance. CUFBA was developed to assist existing and emerging college-based food banks and pantries with information, resources, and a place to network with others aimed at alleviating food insecurity and hunger on college and university campuses.