Nourish to Serve — Food as Medicine for All

Editor’s Note: This story is part of the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics newsletter, highlighting how UND is putting its ‘Food as Medicine’ focus into action. 

Every can of soup, every box of pasta, and every bag of rice carries a message of care. For students at UND, that message is simple yet profound: you belong here, and your community wants to see you thrive. 

Each March, National Nutrition Month®, promoted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, reminds us that food choices matter for our health, our communities, and our future. This spring, UND’s Nutrition & Dietetics (N&D) program is putting that message into action through participation in the campus-wide Pack the Pantry Campus Challenge and our Nourish to Serve — Food as Medicine for All March social media campaign. 

At UND, N&D views food as more than fuel. It’s a form of medicine that supports learning, resilience, and long-term health. Yet many students don’t consistently have access to this most basic form of preventive medicine. 

Recent data shared by UND faculty suggest that as many as one in four students may experience food insecurity during the academic year, a rate consistent with national findings indicating that roughly 30 to 40 percent of U.S. college students face food insecurity. 

“Food insecurity isn’t just about hunger, it’s about students’ ability to focus, learn, and thrive,” explains Dr. Nathaniel Johnson, Assistant Professor in Nutrition & Dietetics. “When a student is worrying about groceries instead of grades, their education and health both suffer.” 

To help close that gap, UND’s N&D community will host a month of service social media event (Nourish to Serve) and will participate in Pack the Pantry 2026. Alumni, preceptors, students, and friends of the program will be invited to come together to stock the shelves of the UND Food for Thought food pantry and participate in a nutrition service activity. This year’s theme, Nourish to Serve: Food as Medicine for All, connects service with the department’s broader commitment to treating food as a foundation for well-being. 

Understanding the Need 

Across the country, college students face rising rates of food insecurity, driven by inflation, housing costs, and unpaid internships that leave little room in the budget for balanced meals. When students can’t consistently access nourishing food, the consequences extend beyond hunger pangs. Lack of proper nutrition contributes to fatigue, stress, and difficulty concentrating, all of which undermine academic success and overall well-being. 

“Access to affordable, nutritious food is fundamental to health and is an essential element of healthcare,” says Dr. Anne Bodensteiner, UND’s Interim Nutrition & Dietetics Department Chair and Clinical Associate Professor. “When students skip meals, they’re missing out on what we, as nutrition professionals, know to be a vital component of medicine.” 

Within this framework, food security isn’t just a student-life issue, it’s a health-equity issue. As N&D faculty align around the theme of Food as Medicine, events like Pack the Pantry demonstrate how evidence-based nutrition can be lived out through service and community partnerships. 

Reflecting on Last Year’s Success 

The 2025 Pack the Pantry event showcased what can happen when compassion meets collaboration. Volunteers from across the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines hosted a friendly campus-wide competition to deliver tangible impact. Together, teams donated over 400 pounds of nonperishable food and boxes of hygiene supplies, supporting the UND Food for Thought Food Pantry. The event also featured Feeding Futures: A Talk on College Student Food Security, led by Dr. Johnson, followed by a resource fair that connected students with campus and community assistance programs. 

Last year’s success underscored how nutrition education extends beyond textbooks. Through collective service and Dr. Johnson’s talk, students saw firsthand how small acts, such as donating cereal or canned beans, can directly improve someone’s health and academic success. 

Looking Ahead: A Day of Service for Health 

This March, in honor of National Nutrition Month®, N&D will launch its Nourish to Serve campaign, a celebration of service, learning, and the healing power of food. 

Led by the department’s guiding theme “Service for Health: Food as Medicine for All,” the campaign unites faculty, students, alumni, and preceptors in a shared approach of caring for one another through food. With two major projects in March, including the Day of Service: Pack the Pantry 2026 and Nourish to Serve, the UND community will collect nonperishable foods and hygiene items for the campus food pantry, and engage in meaningful service activities that increase access to healthy foods. 

Participants can share their stories of service throughout March by posting photos and reflections through submitted content or on social media using #NourishToServe and tagging N&D on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Each participant will be entered into a UND-branded prize drawing and select stories will be featured in CNPD and N&D communications to highlight how our community puts Food as Medicine into practice. 

“Food as Medicine addresses nutrition systematically, placing an emphasis on sustainable community partnerships,” says Dr. Danielle Villano, Clinical Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director. “It’s a comprehensive approach that begins with the basics, providing nutrition education and teaching culinary skills, but also addresses the larger problems, such as food access and resources.” 

Pack the Pantry 2026 and Nourish to Serve together embody the department’s mission to provide exceptional, culturally aware, and collaborative education, experiences, and scholarship that advance well-being through nutrition for all. 

Why Your Support Matters 

The N&D program has long emphasized experiential learning, community engagement, and service as cornerstones of professional preparation. Pack the Pantry 2026 exemplifies those values, transforming classroom principles into real-world impact. 

Research has shown that preceptors and alumni find that volunteering alongside students deepens their connection to the program and reinforces the ethical foundation of their profession: promoting health through compassion and evidence-based action. 

This shared purpose embodies N&D’s evolving mission. As “Food as Medicine for All” becomes a guiding focus for UND Nutrition & Dietetics, initiatives like Pack the Pantry remind us that service isn’t separate from science. 

Join Us — Nourish to Serve 

When we nourish others, we strengthen the entire community. Pack the Pantry 2026 is more than a food drive; it’s a celebration of the healing power of nutrition. 

Take part in the Pack the Pantry Day of Service and the Nourish to Serve social media campaign this March during National Nutrition Month®. Help us make Food as Medicine for All a reality, one student, one meal, one act of service at a time. 

The College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, of which the department of Nutrition & Dietetics is a part, has sponsored a team for the 2026 Challenge. If you would like to participate in the challenge, we encourage you to drop off your donations at the College, 430 Oxford Street, Grand Forks, ND. Alternatively, you can make an online donation to the Pantry Fund. The Challenge organizers do not have access to online donation records. If you would like your contribution to count towards the team, make sure to also report it to the CNPD team captain, Ashley Beland, at ashley.beland@UND.edu.