Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America
The URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America is an educational center committed to developing solutions to the problem of hunger in Rhode Island and nationwide. The center promotes education, research, and outreach on the causes and the consequences of hunger and the study of policies and programs aimed at alleviating hunger.
The Hunger Center provides an avenue for students and the community to work together to understand the issues facing low-income people. Students are challenged through the interdisciplinary experiences as they engage in a didactic learning process with pur community partners (i.e. social service agencies, volunteer organizations, state government). The work of the Hunger Center not only enhances a student's individual professional training, but their lives, and the lives of those around them. The Hunger Center responds to the URI mission statement through its commitment to "students' ethical development ... and addressing the rapidly changing needs of the state, the country, and the world".
The center provides multiple avenues for involvement through academic course work, research experience, internship, for credit or employment opportunities, and a minor in Hunger Studies.
The URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America was founded in 1999 as a partnership between the Feinstein Foundation and the University of Rhode Island. The Hunger Center is housed in Kingston, 309 Ranger Hall, with an additional office at the URI Providence campus.
Dorothy Shackleton Anti-Hunger Leadership Award
On December 11, 2009, graduating senior Leah Murphy was presented with the Dorothy Shackleton Anti-hunger Leadership Award for her outstanding work at the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America. Leah, who completed her degree in Nursing in December, was raised in Jamestown and now lives Newport. Building on her interest in health and her concern for individuals struggling to live on limited incomes, Leah began working as an outreach worker in the fall of 2007. As an outreach worker, Leah has assisted hundreds of low-income individuals in homeless shelters and community meal sites, as well as through her work at clinics and health fairs to access the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program). After graduation, Leah will be working at Newport Hospital.
The Anti-Hunger Leadership Award is given to students who demonstrate extensive knowledge of hunger and poverty issues and who use their skills to participate in education and outreach activities in the community. The fund was started with a donation by Dorothy Shackleton, a former employee with the Department of Human Services.
2009 Dorothy Shackleton Anti-Hunger Leadership Award recipient Leah Murphy, with Professor Kathleen Gorman, Director of the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America.
Previous recipients have included:
- Beth Wilmarth, Spring 2005, Human Development & Family Studies
- Lauren Wagner, Spring 2006, Nutrition & Dietetics
- Jeff Albanese, Spring 2008, Sociology & Political Science
Have you heard about snap?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the new name for the Food Stamp Program.
Learn more about the SNAP Outreach Project or to access a benefits application:
