Hardaway's Honors Mural Project Helps Raise Awareness of Full Circle Food Pantry

Micayla Blair

Kylanna Hardaway, a food, nutrition and health major, developed the idea for her honors research project after volunteering to work at the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, and then having trouble finding it on campus.

The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry is a U of A student-led emergency food program providing students, staff, faculty, temporary and hourly employees with groceries and personal care items.

The pantry, located on the east side of Bud Walton Hall on Stadium Drive, was the site of a current project measuring the impact of passive art on perceptions. The pantry can be difficult to find, which gave Kylanna Hardaway the idea for her honors research project.

On Dec. 3, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house was held for the unveiling of a mural which has been installed on the outside wall of the pantry. The mural was designed by Hardaway, an honors student in food, nutrition and health in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.

Working with Sabrina Trudo, associate professor of human nutrition and dietetics and holder of the 21st Century Endowed Chair in Human Environmental Sciences, Hardaway has collected weeks of survey data to measure the effect of her design.

Installation of the mural, which took place in October, was intentionally not publicized until completion of data collection, leading to the Dec. 3 event. The ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house also marked the end of the pantry's 10-year anniversary celebration.

One purpose of Hardaway's mural is to raise more awareness about the pantry and its location.

"I got the idea to create a mural after I signed up to volunteer at the food pantry last semester and realized I had no idea where it was located," said Hardaway. "After I referenced some directional photos on Google, I was shocked to find out that I had walked past it nearly every day on my way to the HPER and never even noticed it. Coming from an artistic background, the long brick wall on the side of the food pantry looked like a huge blank canvas to me - the perfect place for a mural that could provide signage and curb appeal for the pantry."

Hardaway says high rates of food insecurity among college students, coupled with poor eating habits of emerging adults in general, show the need for increased nutrition awareness in this population.

Previous published research indicates despite the benefits of a healthy diet and availability of campus pantries, embarrassment and negative social stigma associated with food pantries discourage many of the approximately 42 percent of college students experiencing food insecurity from utilizing food pantries.

Public art can passively increase awareness, empower viewers to action and initiate social change. Hardaway's project takes an innovative approach on using passive art to help improve perception.

The results of the impact of a mural on perceptions of a college campus food pantry and patronage will be analyzed, along with implications for other food and feeding programs.

"Kylanna's project helps raise awareness of the significant prevalence of food insecurity among college students as well as some of the barriers in seeking assistance from food pantries," said Trudo. "The project also highlights the importance of developing a variety of innovative approaches to address such a complex challenge."

The pantry is part of the U of A's Volunteer Action Center and is advised by the Center for Community Engagement.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

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