While she paid for her friend’s meals for the rest of the year, Sridhar started to explore the larger problem of food insecurity. Although the case managers in UAB’s Office of Student Advocacy, Rights and Conduct pointed out that there were resources available, Sridhar knew that many students weren’t aware of them. So she launched a new campus organization, Donor to Diner, which spreads the word about these services and provides a food pantry to students struggling to pay for meals. Sridhar also worked with UAB Dining and the university’s food service partner, Sodexo, to establish the One Meal Initiative, which allows students to donate unused funds on their meal plans to fellow Blazers in need. In its first semester, fall 2015, the program received more than 250 meal donations. More than 500 meals and numerous financial contributions were donated during the spring 2016 semester. For more information, visit donortodiner.org
