Ridgewater Earns Hunger Free Campus Designation and Grant
October 31, 2025
WILLMAR and HUTCHINSON, MN – Ridgewater College has been named a Hunger Free Campus and awarded a $13,000 grant.
The Hunger Free Campus designation is a formal recognition that a public or private college or university is actively working to reduce student food insecurity through coordinated support services. The Hunger Free Campus grants in Minnesota are funded by the Minnesota Legislature through appropriations to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE)
Ridgewater began providing food through the Warrior Pantries in 2021. To date, students have visited the food pantries more than 3,700 times.
“We are honored to receive the Hunger Free Campus designation and deeply grateful for the grant funding,” said Heidi Olson, Ridgewater Dean of Students. “This recognition affirms Ridgewater’s commitment to supporting the basic needs of our students and creating a campus environment where every learner can thrive. Food insecurity should never be a barrier to education, and this support allows us to strengthen our safety net and expand access to essential resources.”
Olson went on to state that the grant will be used to improve and expand the food pantries on both the Hutchinson and Willmar campuses.
Mark Taylor, Ridgewater Community Resource and Inclusion Coordinator, manages the campus pantries. “We are proud to stand with other institutions across Minnesota in prioritizing student well-being and success.”
For more information about Ridgewater’s effort to help students meet basic needs and the food pantries, go to www.ridgewater.edu/basicneeds.
To learn more about the Minnesota Hunger Free Campus program, go to www.ohe.mn.gov/competitive-grants/hunger-free-campus.
