Business Affairs Departments Partner to Provide Food During Emergencies

When a hurricane or other emergency threatens campus, dining locations may close, power may be disrupted and normal food service may not be immediately available, often creating a delay between the need for emergency feeding and the ability to provide prepared food. A new partnership between two Business Affairs departments is helping UF prepare to meet that need.

The Department of Emergency Management provides the emergency preparedness expertise and coordination, while Business Services supports these efforts through its partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, which provides food-service expertise and acquisition of shelf-stable foods through supply chain partners.

As a part of the partnership, Emergency Management will maintain a limited cache of a shelf-stable food supply that can be accessed by Emergency Management and University of Florida Police Department personnel to provide an immediate response in the early stages of an emergency.

“Through our partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, we were able to leverage existing contractual resources to establish this initial supply of shelf-stable food at no cost to the University,” said Robin Stewart, Senior Director for Business Services. “We plan to continue building on this partnership to strengthen the University’s ability to respond to future emergencies.”

This provides the university with an immediate food supply during emergencies until fresh food can be safely prepared and delivered.

For example, if a hurricane affects campus and shelters are established, the shelf-stable food can be available when the shelters open. At the same time, Business Services can coordinate with Chartwells on the next phase of food service based on campus conditions and needs.

“This is a great partnership among Business Affairs departments,” said Kenneth Allen, Director of Emergency Management. “During an emergency, access to food is one of the most basic needs we have to address. This partnership allows us to respond quickly while giving our dining operations the time they need to assess conditions and plan for longer-term food service.”

The partnership also helps reduce food waste. When shelf-stable items are approaching their expiration dates and are no longer needed for emergency preparedness, they will be donated to the Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry, where they can support members of the UF community.

Together, Emergency Management and Business Services are creating an additional layer of preparedness that can help UF respond quickly to one of the most basic needs during an emergency: access to food.