Appalachian State University
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is a group "dedicated to strengthening the High Country's Local Food System by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture." The group hosts a variety of programs and events geared towards strengthening "an equitable local food system that protects the environment, strengthens the local economy, alleviates hunger and poverty, and improves community health."
Programs include (but are not limited to): peer-to-peer workshops for farmers, community garden networks and learning programs, doubling the value of SNAP/EBT benefits spent at local farmers markets, hosting the annual High Country Food Summit and weekly local farmers' markets, profiling the region's female farmers, providing grants and scholarships to innovative and sustainable agriculture projects, hosting the High Country Farm Tour and the High Country Food Hub, and more.
In 2018, BRWIA was one recipient of Appalachian State University's BIG Sale grant. The BIG Sale Energy Efficiency Grant was created in 2007 after community partners expressed an interest but lack of funds to improve the energy efficiency of their facility and organization. The mission of this grant is twofold; it’s designed to provide support for the Don’t Throw it Away program that feeds The BIG Sale at the university as well provide financial assistance for energy efficiency initiatives resulting in long term savings for community partners. BRWIA used the grant to insulated their basement office space and installed LED lighting.
BRWIA is partners with the university through Appalachian & the Community Together (ACT). ACT is a proud to partner with many local non-profit organizations in the High Country. ACT values creating and sustaining community partnerships through programs and initiatives that strengthen the connection between campus and community.
The benefits of a partnership: By partnering with ACT, Community Partners are more closely connected to the university campus and its resources, including faculty expertise and student volunteers, as they strive to increase capacity and expand services. A comprehensive list of all of our Community Partners can be found at volunteer.appstate.edu.
For more information, visit https://www.brwia.org/
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
The mission of F.A.R.M. Cafe' "is to build a healthy and inclusive community by providing high quality & delicious meals produced from local sources, served in a restaurant where everybody eats, regardless of means. F.A.R.M. Cafe strives to be an all inclusive cafe, serving people from all walks of life with dignity. With a 90% volunteer staff, anyone can work an hour in the cafe in exchange for a meal. In addition to our volunteers, we have "pay-it-forward" patrons who pay more than the suggested donation for their meal, which helps cover the cost of those who cannot pay at all." They are also, "proud to be a part of the One World Everybody Eats Movement." Similar to the BRWIA, F.A.R.M. Cafe is also an ACT partner with Appalachian State University.
Additionally, Campus Dining gives food to the Hunger and Health Coalition (another local food security organization) on a daily basis.
website: https://farmcafe.org/index.html
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
In the Fall of 2020, Appalachian State University will begin construction on their 2nd App Builds A Home (ABAH) home. The first installment of this partnership with the Watauga County Habitat for Humanity began in the Fall of 2018. Appalachian students, faculty, and staff took on a home build including the funding, design and construction. In the App State tradition of community partnerships, building these homes represents a tangible commitment to our community and an opportunity for a campus-wide project to bring together students, faculty, and staff to build a home for a local family.
website: https://appbuildsahome.appstate.edu/
A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
Appalachian & the Community Together (ACT) provides service experiences as opportunities to connect and engage with others to build authentic relationships, stimulate critical thinking and skill building, and recognize individual impact and responsibility to our local and global community. Currently AppState has 88 partners in the community.
Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
ACT website: https://act.appstate.edu/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.