Middlesex Community College Offers Free Hot Meals for Students in Need

More than one-third of the student population at Middlesex Community College is facing food insecurity. Within the first 60 days of the new year, the school’s two Lowell and Bedford campus-based food pantries have already received a combined 750 visits from students seeking free on-the-go nutrition resources. One of the most popular offerings can be found in a dedicated freezer within each pantry – single serving microwavable frozen meals. These readymade meals are a hit with students not just for their fresh contents, but also their sustainability as they contain rescued food from area dining halls that would otherwise go to waste.

Since October 2023, Middlesex Community College has partnered with Food For Free as a recipient of the nonprofit’s Heat-n-Eats program, which takes prepared food from corporate, university, and hospital dining services and turns it into nutritious, balanced, single-serving meals that the nonprofit distributes to food-insecure populations through community partners. On a monthly basis, Middlesex Community College staff members drive down to Food For Free’s Somerville Packing and Distribution Center to pick up 7 to 10 cases of food, which equates to approximately 300 meals for the 35 percent of its students who self-report struggling to afford food.

“Food For Free’s Heat-n-Eats meals have been an unbelievable hit with our students,” says Jonathan Crockett, Middlesex Community College’s Coordinator of Essential Needs & Community Resources. “Not only have these meals shifted our ability to offer prepared food in addition to pantry staples, a mix of non-perishables and fresh produce, but the story behind the reclaiming and repurposing of the food to reduce waste has become a positive conversation piece among students and staff members. These meals not only fuel students’ academic success, but they also contribute to our larger sustainability efforts on our campuses.”

Many nearby universities, including Lesley University, Emerson College, and Harvard University, are donors for the Heat-n-Eats program. The frozen meals include a protein, starch, and vegetable, so they are both filling and nutritious. Recipient partners include schools, colleges like Middlesex Community College, homeless shelters, and other community programs. Collectively, the program packs and distributes more than 1,000 meals per week.

“With the Heat-n-Eats program, we're not just providing meals; we're weaving a stronger community fabric, emphasizing the profound impact of every single meal both to reduce food waste and feed those in need,” says Molly Hansen, Food For Free’s Senior Program Manager, who runs Heat-n-Eats. “The access point of education is key as we know many students struggle to work their way through school, balancing multiple jobs, courses, family responsibilities, and then need to think of a way to eat moreover. The frozen meals offer busy college students an opportunity to enjoy a healthy, hot meal during their day so they can focus on everything else – it’s one more thing we can take off their plates.”

As one of the nation’s first food rescue organizations, Food For Free now serves more than 150,000 Massachusetts residents facing food insecurity and distributes 6.2 million pounds of nutritious fresh and prepared foods annually. For more information and to become a Heat-n-Eats food donor, readers can visit: www.foodforfree.org.