Ducks Feeding Ducks allows University of Oregon students to confidentially request a transfer of $10 into their account for use at any campus food venue that accepts DuckBucks. The food security program is expanding to allow up to three emergency meal fund requests per term for eligible students.
Tamarra White, the manager of the ID Card Office who oversees the program, said they hope to be able to increase that to four meals per term as early as this coming fall.
Julia Morrill, the director of basic needs at UO, said food insecurity is more common than most people realize, with many students of all years reporting having trouble finding consistent access to affordable food.
College students are “four times more likely to experience hunger than the general population,” according to Hunger Free Oregon’s campus report. About 44% of Oregon’s college students have unmet financial need, and it follows that many of these students would struggle to find affordable food options.
The same report found that students who identify as BIPOC, noncisgender, parenting, first generation, former foster youth and low income are more likely to experience food insecurity. Food insecurity can lead to decreased academic performance, among other things, according to HFO’s report.
Ducks Feeding Ducks is one way that the university is mitigating the difficulties of navigating higher education with unmet financial needs.
Any student currently enrolled at the University of Oregon who does not have access to money for buying food, and has less than $4 in their DuckBucks account, can request up to three transfers per term. Any unused funds will be transferred back into the main fund after three days, according to the program website.
To make a request, students fill out an online form found under the DuckBucks tab in the ID Card Services section of the EMU website. Applications are screened through an automated process, and the applicant will receive a confirmation (or denial) email within an hour of a form submission, according to White. In the case of a denied request, a student will receive an email with possible reasons for denial.
White said the decision to automate the process was made with the goal of reducing the stigma around food insecurity by allowing these requests to be made anonymously.
The program first opened in the fall of 2018 to meet a need for emergency meal assistance on campus, White said. In that first year, the need was so extensive that that program ran out of meals before the end of winter term, she said.
After that year, Ducks Feeding Ducks adjusted. The program has “not since been short of meals,” White said.
There were understandably fewer requests during the 2020 school year, White said, but it is now starting to be used more regularly which prompted an increase in the number of transfers per term. Since August 2021, the program has processed over 4,000 applications.
Initially funded through the president’s office, the majority of the program’s funding is now on an annual basis through UO’s budget advisory group process along with the other Feed the Flock initiatives, White said.
Julia Morrill, the director of Basic Needs, said she refers many students to this program, along with other food assistance programs offered through various offices throughout the university.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on May 19, 2022 to reflect the correct spelling of Director of Basic Needs Julia Morrill’s name. The article initially incorrectly referred to her as Jill Morrill.
