The Mississippi State University Food Network will partner with the Student Association’s “Block by Block” meal program to give meals to MSU students in need.
Conner Ladner, co-director of the health and environmental affairs committee, said the program began when the Student Association President Brett Harris chose giving meals to students in need as a major focus.
“It started with our SA president Brett Harris. It was one of his big platform points that he ran on. Our committee was in charge of starting that and getting it done,” Ladner said. “Our chief administrative officer met with Aramark to speak with them about the program, and Aramark agreed to match the meals that we got donated by students. Our research and development committee researched the program just to see what we could do, and we set it up to where students could sign their name and Net ID and donate a block meal.”
Ladner said he believes it is important to participate in this program because it helps show others  students at MSU are truly a family.
“I think one of the big selling points for MSU is the family atmosphere, and that definitely adds to it,” Ladner said.
Ladner said the goal of the program is to take care of the students who may be going hungry because they cannot afford food and help students stay energetic.
“We hope to do it every year, and we hope it gets bigger and bigger, and hopefully the end goal will be not to have any hungry students, and if they are eating and getting their energy then they make better grades, and in the end it can definitely stimulate the economy, but it’s about taking care of our own,” Ladner said.
Austin Fortenberry, co-director of the health and environmental affairs committee, said a significant number of students have donated a block meal.
“1,000 students were willing to donate one block meal, which may not seem like much, but they were willing to take time out of their day and sign their name because they cared about those people that needed it that maybe they don’t even know,” Fortenberry said. 
Fortenberry said he believes this program is important because students have so many expenses to worry about, and they sometimes do not realize how expensive it is to buy food. Fortenberry added  SA strives to help  students from all different backgrounds.
“We are a part of the Student Association and we represent the students, and there are probably people who can barely afford to be here or have to pay their own way and have tons of loans. You don’t think about how much it costs to buy meal plans, and if you’re paying your own way that can be something that easily falls by the wayside,” Fortenberry said.
 Fortenberry said he believes the program shows SA and MSU really care about the health and well-being of their students, no matter their financial situation.
“I think this program is so good because it shows that the student association and MSU as a whole cares about those people, and they recognize that not everyone may come from a super wealthy background,” Fortenberry said.
Antwon Powell, sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he would donate a block meal because he believes if he is able to help someone in need he should, and eating should not be a primary worry for students. 
“I would donate a block meal with the reason being that since I have it to give, why not give it to people who need it? I obviously can afford however many block meals I want, but others have to constantly scrape by,” he said.
Powell also said the program  is ethically compelling.
 “Whether or not they’ll get to eat on certain days shouldn’t be something any college student should have to stress about,” he said. “It’s important for me to do it due to moral reasons. Again, if I have it to give, then it’s given.”
Thompson said he believes financial aid is a key factor in college life.
“Financial aid is a crucial part of campus life, if it were not for financial aid, most students would not be here,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he really wants students to learn about financial aid so they can reach their academic goals.
“We really want to help students complete their goals to get an education, let them know about the process and get them thinking and create awareness about financial aid,” Thompson said.
Carmen Wilder, assistant director of student leadership and community engagement at MSU, said Jonathan created this program because he knows the struggle college students go through when figuring out how to pay for college.
“Jonathan decided to put on this program because he is familiar with the struggle that many college students undergo in looking for ways to pay for college. He envisioned having a program where students could learn about grants, scholarships and how to correctly complete a FASFA form for financial aid,” Wilder said.
Wilder said she believes the program could really help students become more knowledgeable in the possibilities that are out there for them to use. 
“In my personal opinion, this event could aid students (graduate and undergraduate) in becoming more aware of the aid and opportunities that are out there to assist them in paying for college, whether it is through loans, grants, scholarships or a combination of all. Often the paperwork needed to apply for financial aid may seem daunting to a student, but our financial aid office is there to help walk students through the process and be available for questions,” Wilder said. 
Wilder said she believes both students and schools both gain from students getting a better education and students not being able to get financial aid could result in colleges losing great students.
 “Schools and students both benefit from students becoming better educated about financial aid. If a student leaves MSU as a result of him or her not be able to pay tuition, we all lose. MSU loses a student and all he or she had to offer, not simpl in revenue from lost tuition and fees but in the way that each student who is passionate about furthering their education adds something unique to our campus and to our community. What is most critical to the mission of MSU, the student also loses the opportunity to further their education,” Wilder said.