Motlow Market Helps Fight Student Hunger

By Jonathan Graham

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

         SMYRNA -- Thanksgiving truly is a time for giving. We give during this season because we know just how lucky we all are. Families unite and join around a table of food to celebrate one another and the many blessings that have been bestowed upon them. Shelter, food and merry holiday spirits abound.

         Many families, however, will go hungry this Thanksgiving. In fact, many students at Motlow go hungry every day. As a result, the Motlow Market is working to minimize hunger across our four campuses.

         The Motlow Market is a campus-wide initiative designed to help fight student hunger on campus. Each campus has a Motlow Market representative that serves to assist students in need of food. Since its inception in April 2016, the Motlow Market has served at least 15 students in need. In order for students to receive food, students need to simply contact one of the Motlow Market campus representatives who will then put together a food package for the student in need. 

         Representatives for the Smyrna Campus include Jonathan Graham, Liala Syler, Regina Hill, and Hayley Austin and Stacy Dowd. Representatives for the Moore County Campus include Kirsten Moss, Angelica Dotson, and Rhonda Cotham. Representatives for the Fayetteville Campus include Debra Smith and Joshua Caldwell. The representative for the McMinnville Campus is Laura Brown.

         There are many ways to give to the Motlow Market. Motlow’s Student Government is currently holding a non-perishable food drive at the Smyrna Campus to collect food donations. Items can be donated until the end of the semester (i.e., finals week). Boxes are in the lobby area of both the Mary Loy Apple building and the Arthur Walker Jr. Building. We suggest students get together and donate a meal – pasta, sauce, bread mix, veggies; casserole (chicken or tuna, condensed soup, veggies); pancake mix, oatmeal, syrup; chicken taco night (shells, seasoning, salsa, chicken). Students, faculty and staff can also donate nonfood items such as personal hygiene items (e.g., deodorant, soap, razors, shampoo, tampons etc.), as well as baby items (diapers, wipes, formula, and bottles).

         Students, faculty and staff who shop at Kroger can also sign up for Kroger’s Community Rewards Program. When a student, faculty or staff member signs up for the Kroger Community Rewards program and selects the Motlow State Food Bank as their charity of choice, Kroger will donate a percentage of what is purchased directly to the Motlow Market.

         Thanksgiving truly is a time for giving to those in need. If you are interested in helping support the Motlow Market this Thanksgiving holiday season, please contact one of our campus representatives. Happy holidays from the Motlow Market Team!

Jonathan Graham – jgraham@mscc.edu

Liala Syler – lsyler@mscc.edu

Regina Hill - rhill@mscc.edu

Hayley Austin – haustin1028@mscc.edu

Stacy Dowd - sdowd@mscc.edu

Kirsten Moss – kmoss@mscc.edu

Angelica Dotson – adotson@mscc.edu

Rhonda Cotham – rcotham@mscc.edu

Debra Smith – dsmith@mscc.edu

Joshua Caldwell – jcaldwell@mscc.edu

Laura Brown – lbrown@mscc.edu

Motlow Market Offers Assistance to Food-Insecure Students

By Stacy Dowd

Contributing Writer

SMYRNA, Tenn. -- There’s a resource for students who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

The Motlow Market is a resource for food-insecure students at Motlow. It was created after a psychology course conducted a survey that revealed that at least 25 percent of on-ground Motlow students were food insecure.

The Smyrna campus has partnered with Nourish Food Bank, which serves Lavergne and Smyrna to house the Motlow Market. Students can visit the market to assist with their food supply needs. Sociology Professor Liala Syler and Tennessee Promise Coordinator Jonathan Graham are the contact points in Smyrna for the coordination and running of the Motlow Market. Serving as contact points on the other campuses are Dean of Students Kirsten Moss and Director of Student Success Rhonda Cotham (Moore County); Completion Coach Laura Brown (McMinnville); and Completion Coach Joshua Caldwell and Student Success Coach Hayley Caldwell (Fayetteville).

Students can volunteer to work at the market and gain Tennessee Promise volunteer hours or FYE course requirements. The Market is currently open during normal operating hours of the Nourish Food Bank. To learn more, visit www.nourishfoodbanks.org .

Throughout the year, food drives are held on Motlow campuses to help stock the market. The Market also collects school supplies to assist Nourish Food Bank in its support of the Rutherford County School Supply Drive.

For more information on how you can help or to learn more about the services offered by the Motlow Market, contact Liala Syler at lsyler@mscc.edu or Jonathan Graham at jgraham@mscc.edu.