NICE Pantry Program (NPP)

A partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omahas Maverick Food Pantry

and Omaha Public Schools Native Indigenous Centered Education Program

April 2017

Treyten A. Ozuna
International Service Program Manager
Office of Civic and Social Responsibility
6001 Dodge St.
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
Telephone: 402.554.4083 Email: tozuna@unomaha.edu
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1. Overview
The NICE Pantry Program (NPP) is a partnership between the University of Nebraska at

Omahas (UNO) Maverick Food Pantry and Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Native Indigenous

Centered Education Program (NICE). The NICE Pantry Program functions as a resource for

NICE students in need of emergency assistance by providing pre-packaged bags supplied by the

Maverick Food Pantry. The goal is to alleviate the consequences of food insecurity within Native

American students in Omaha, Nebraska.

2. Background

a.) University of Nebraska at Omahas Maverick Food Pantry

The Maverick Food Pantry opened in August 2013 and is located in UNOs Community

Engagement Center (CEC), room 121. The pantry currently serves all UNO students, faculty,

and staff. The mission of the Maverick Food Pantry is to contribute to UNO's culture of caring

by means of providing food to those in immediate need and connecting them with resources in

the Omaha area for long-term support.

b.) Omaha Public Schools Native Indigenous Centered Education Program

Omaha Public Schools Native Indigenous Centered Education program (NICE) is a community

of various leaders who work to educate, build, and advocate for Indigenous families through
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cultural identity and academic programs in Omaha Public Schools. NICE believes that

educational success and life achievement for the Indigenous population is accomplished by

advocacy, sustained cultural identity, family involvement, strong communication and positive

life experiences.

c.) Food Insecurity and Academic Success

Food insecurity has been found to be a national issue, impacting over 60 million households with

children in the United States alone. Food insecurity has been defined as an inadequate amount of

food intake due to financial constraints. Research has shown that food insecurity has negative

developmental consequences on school aged children. Some of these consequences include

aggression, anxiety, depression, poor memory, increased social behavior problems, and an

overall poorer academic performance.1

d.) Need

Currently, the NICE program has ~500 participants, and of those participants, ~100 request

emergency services relating to food insecurity per month. The participants in the program range

from ages 5-18 years old.

3. Mission
The NICE Pantry Program (NPP) strives to alleviate the consequences of food insecurity on

academic success within the Native American student population of Omaha, Nebraska.
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4. Model
The Maverick Food Pantry will act as an emergency food pantry resource to students enrolled in

the NICE program, by providing pre-packaged bags containing protein, grains/pasta, and

vegetables based upon FDA nutritional guidelines and the current inventory of the pantry. Each

bag contains approximately two days worth of food for one individual.

a.) Client Eligibility

In order to qualify for the NPP, the student must be enrolled in Omaha Public Schools and a

participant in the K-12 OPS NICE program. All requests must be made through the NICE Family

Support Representative. No additional documents are required.

b.) Requesting a Package

If a student is in need of assistance, they can make a request by contacting the NICE Family

Support Representative. Clients have the option of including preferences for special allergies,

dietary restrictions, and miscellaneous items currently offered by the Maverick Food Pantry. The

NICE Family Support Representative will then submit the clients request by email to the

Maverick Food Pantry manager at unomavfoodpantry@unomaha.edu. Said email will need to

include a completed copy of the NPPs request form. This email will alert pantry administrators

of a pending order. The bag is then filled by them or a volunteer, and marked with initials for

privacy.
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Clients may submit a request once per calendar week with the exception of a critical situation at

which point a client may submit two requests during a single seven day period. This distinction

will be left to the discretion of the Family Support Representative. The Family Support

Representative is not expected by the Maverick Food Pantry to keep records of clients and

associated requests, but may do so if they so choose.

UNO will do its best to accommodate those with special allergies or dietary restrictions,

however, it is each clients responsibility to ensure that contents within the bag are safe and

appropriate for their consumption.

The Maverick Food Pantry occasionally receives limited, miscellaneous items. Any items in

stock will be provided on a first come, first serve basis and will be added to the standard or

vegetarian package. Administrators from the Maverick Food Pantry will contact the NICE

Family Representative by email with changes to the limited inventory options as they occur.

c.) Package Pickup

Following a submission, requests will typically be approved and filled on the morning of the next

business day, with the bag being available for pick-up that afternoon. The Family Support

Representative has the authority to pick up bags on behalf of clients if the Family Support

Representative deems necessary.

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Bags can be picked up during the Maverick Food Pantrys regular hours of operation:

Monday 8am-7pm

Tuesday 8am-7pm

Wednesday 8am-7pm

Thursday 8am-7pm

Fridays 8am-5pm

Bags can be retrieved in the University of Nebraska at Omahas Community Engagement Center,

room 121. If an administrator is not present, bags may be picked up from staff in CEC room 130

or CEC room 115. Clients can park vehicles in parking lot E, located directly north of the

Community Engagement Center. Clients will need to inform the parking attendant that they are

picking up a package for the NICE program. Clients may not park their vehicle in the parking lot

for longer than a period of 15 minutes.

5. Timeline
The NICE Pantry Program will launch in August of 2017, with an exact date to be determined

over the course of the 2017 Summer. The partnership will continue through the 2017-2018

academic year and end May of 2018, at which point both partners will evaluate the relationship

to determine if re-commitment is appropriate.

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6. Support
The Maverick Food Pantry will work to stock an adequate inventory for NICE clients, but in

order to ensure access to a satisfactory selection, it will be expected that the NICE program

commits to three fundraising events over the course of the partnership; one event during the

summer of 2017, prior to the launch date, and two events during the 2017-2018 academic year.

The Student Facilitator, Treyten Ozuna, is willing to assist with the planning and/or coordination

of fundraising events if the NICE program finds that they are having a difficult time meeting this

objective.

7. Electronic Request Form

The NICE Pantry Program (NPP) Request Form was specifically designed using Google Forms

for client request submissions. The link to this electronic form will be provided to the Family

Support Representative through an email sent from the Maverick Food Pantry. Forms are to be

completed and submitted by the Family Support Representative. The Maverick Food Pantry

administrators will only approve requests delivered from email addresses belonging to the

NICE Family Support Representative or Director.

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9. References
1. Jyoti, D. F., Frongillo, E. A., & Jones, S. J. (2005, December 1). Food insecurity affects
school children's academic performance, weight gain, and social skills. Retrieved April
24, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16317128