A group of six  St. Petersburg College nursing students recently developed a health fair with Feeding America Tampa Bay to spread the word about the problem of “food insecurity.”

The term food insecure refers to a person who doesn’t know if they will have enough money any given week to feed themselves and their family.  In an effort to educate others on this subject, the students designed informational brochures and spread information about this epidemic.

The project fulfilled the 45 service learning hours required by the SPC Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing Community Practicum course.

Food insecurity – Hunger realities

In 2016, Feeding America Tampa Bay reported that one in four kids in Pinellas County qualify as food insecure and that “31 percent of households have to choose between food and education.”  As of 2018, Florida is the fourth in the nation for family hunger, and 60 percent of the population in West Central Florida is eligible for food stamps. A full report can be found here.

To help raise awareness, SPC nursing students developed a brochure that addresses six important topics focusing on health promotion.  Participants at the fair were able to keep the brochure to remind them of the health promotion information the students provided.

Pictured above are the students whose efforts with Feeding America Tampa Bay helped broaden awareness about the issue of food insecurity. From left to right are Melanie Sikes, Carrie Gnecknow, Monica Bakay, Lorraine Mercies, Shontoya Ruth, and Adelle Molnar.

Thank you students for your efforts in working together for hunger relief!

Interested in joining these SPC nursing students?

Learn more about the SPC BSN program.

SPC has been training registered nurses for six decades. The college offers nationally accredited nursing programs. The online BSN program builds on your R.N. credential so you can take your career to the next level.