Campus Dining’s Commitment to Fighting Food Insecurity
At Vanderbilt University, every student deserves reliable access to nutritious meals. Campus Dining plays a central role in ensuring food security by offering comprehensive meal plans and meal access during academic breaks, ensuring that no student goes without food.
Through meal plan accessibility and partnerships with student support services, Campus Dining actively works to ensure that food access is never a barrier to academic success.
Ensuring Equal Access to Nutritious Food
A key part of Vanderbilt’s commitment to food security is the mandatory meal plan for all undergraduate students living on campus. By requiring meal plans, Vanderbilt ensures that every student—regardless of background—has reliable access to nutritious food every day.
- Meal plans are automatically assigned based on a student’s cohort year, ensuring that all students have access to balanced, convenient, and high-quality meals throughout their time at Vanderbilt.
- Financial aid award packages include meal plan costs as part of the total cost of attendance, helping to ensure that food access is not an additional financial burden for students with demonstrated need.
This approach helps level the playing field, ensuring that every student has the same access to food and nutrition, regardless of their financial situation.
Support for Students During Academic Breaks
Vanderbilt recognizes that not all students have the means to travel home during university breaks such as Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break. To ensure that students who remain on campus continue to have access to meals, Campus Dining provides daily meal service for students who qualify for need-based financial aid.
- Depending on the time of year, students receive either on-campus dining hall access or a daily Meal Money allotment redeemable at participating Taste of Nashville partner restaurants.
- This initiative is a joint effort between Campus Dining, Card Services, Student Affairs, and the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, with Campus Dining fully funding the program.
By providing consistent meal access during academic breaks, Vanderbilt continues its mission of supporting students both inside and outside the classroom.
Get Well Meals
Campus Dining offers a Get Well Meals program for students who are ill and unable to visit dining facilities. This service allows sick students to order meals that can be picked up by a friend, ensuring they have access to nutritious food during recovery. Meals include easy-on-the-stomach comfort foods like oatmeal, soup, and fresh fruit, and are available for pickup at Munchie Mart locations.
How to Access Resources
Meal Access During Breaks – Break period meal assistance is coordinated through Student Affairs. Eligible students will receive an email with instructions and plan details prior to the break.
Get Well Meals – Students who are ill and unable to visit dining halls can arrange for a friend to pick up meals on their behalf. To order your Get Well Meal, text “VandySick” to 55744.
For more information about these programs, contact Campus Dining at dining@vanderbilt.edu.