5 things: Chicago Medicine uses purchase roundups to support its food pantries

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    UChicago Medicine uses purchase roundups to support its food pantries

Starting Oct. 2, customers at the Sky Café, Café Central and Kitchen at Billings dining outlets at University of Chicago Medicine have the option to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar to support Feed1st, the hospital-based program that runs 10 self-serve food pantry sites across the academic health system's Hyde Park campus. The pilot program marks a new partnership between UChicago Medicine and dining services provider Aramark to sustain the in-demand hospital pantry program for patients facing food insecurity, an issue that’s linked to negative health outcomes in children and adults.

Read more: UChicago Medicine diners can round up food purchases to support hospital food pantries

 2.    South Carolina schools facing possible milk carton shortage

Multiple upstate school districts in South Carolina said they have been warned about a shortage of milk cartons that could impact their cafeterias. Dairy Farmers of America, a national milk marketing cooperative, recently learned that one of their major suppliers of half-pint milk cartons is experiencing a shortage and unable to produce enough packaging to meet demand.

Related:5 things: Congress battles over school milk policy with separate bills

Read more: School milk carton shortage: Dairy farmers working on ‘contingency plan’

 3.    Food truck looks to serve campus food deserts and mitigate dining hall lines at South Dakota State

Sodexo has rolled out the Yum Mobile food truck on the South Dakota State University campus that offers all of campus’s favorite meals to more accessible locations for students, including Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Erbert and Gerberts subs, individual pieces of Slices pizza, sushi from Mein Bowl and SDSU ice cream. The main purposes of the Yum Mobile are to bring food to students who are in “food deserts” and to mitigate lines in other food spots on campus, says Sodexo Resident District Manager Damian Lewis.

Read more: New Sodexo food truck offers alternative options for food on campus

 4.    Creative Dining Services partners with nonprofit on restaurant supporting those in need

Social service nonprofit Gateway Mission has launched a restaurant called Gateway Spoon in Holland, Mich. in partnership with FM Top 50 firm Creative Dining Services that looks to help support the community by creating jobs and practical experience for those in need. Gateway Spoon functions as a standalone restaurant with a menu that features breakfast and lunch items like eggs, pancakes, melts, sandwiches and salads, and it also offers boxed lunches, catering services and event hosting.

Related:5 tech things: Americans open to robot and drone food delivery, survey finds

Read more: New Restaurant and Café 'Gateway Spoon' Supporting and Employing Those in Need

 5.    Nebraska launches farm-to-school network

The Nebraska Department of Education, the Center for Rural Affairs and Nebraska Extension and social service organizations Buy Fresh Buy Local and No More Empty Pots have partnered to launch a new program aimed at getting local farm food to school cafeterias in the state. A development and advisory committee has been formed to build the network, which will be a “collective action plan that will move farm-to-school forward in Nebraska,” according to a press release.

Read more: Nebraska Farm to School Network will help get local food to school cafeterias

Bonus: Students are psyched about vending machine meal delivery

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]