Hi Everyone!

Our Free Farmers Market for today and next week will be held in the Center for Wellbeing. We hope to see you there!

Join the Center for Social Science Scholarship for an important conversation on Food Justice!

 Monday, April 20, 2026 · 4 - 5:30 PM In-Person · Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn : Gallery

Sign up here

Hanna Garth, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Princeton University

Food justice activists have worked to increase access to healthy food in low-income communities of color across the United States. Yet despite their best intentions, they often perpetuate food access inequalities and racial stereotypes. Hanna Garth shows how the movement has been affected by misconceptions and assumptions about residents, as well as by unclear definitions of justice and what it means to be healthy. Focusing on broad structures and microlevel processes, Garth reveals how power dynamics shape social justice movements in particular ways.

Drawing on twelve years of ethnographic research, Garth examines what motivates people from more affluent, majority-white areas of the city to intervene in South Central Los Angeles. She argues that the concepts of “food justice” and “healthy food” operate as racially coded language, reinforcing the idea that health problems in low-income Black and Brown communities can be solved through individual behavior rather than structural change. Food Justice Undone explores the stakes of social justice and the possibility of multiracial coalitions working toward a better future.

Special Offer and Giveaway:

Dr. Garth’s book is available from UC Press at a 40% discount using code: EVENT40.
In-person attendees of the lecutre will have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win one of five free copies of the book!

Hosted by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health.  Co-sponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship, the Department of American Studies, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Department of Biological Sciences.

CS3 sponsored events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Sign up here

Hello Everyone!

For this week only (April 6th - 10th), Retriever Essentials and Parking Services is having a mini food for fines!

Food For Fines is a donation program where donating any 5 non-perishable food items and/or five toiletry items to parking services, and they will reduce one citation (up to a $50 violation) to a warning. The citation must be from the current semester, and one citation per student.
Items include:

• Healthy Snacks
• Protein Drinks & Bars
• Instant Noodles
• Pre-Packaged Rice Bags
• Boxes of Cereal
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Shelf-Safe Microwaveable Meals (Macaroni & Cheese, Rice, Etc.)
• Menstrual Pads/Tampons*Diapers/Wipes
• Household Essentials Like Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Dental Floss, Deodorant, Etc.

Please note, we cannot accept Toilet paper and Paper Towels

All items should be donated to Parking Services (900 Walker Avenue, Suite 107). Donations must be new and unopened. Donations will be accepted from 8 AM to 4PM, Monday to Friday, and must be donated in their offices to receive the citation reduction. They are closed for lunch from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM.

If you have any questions, please contact Parking Services at parking@umbc.edu

Hello everyone!

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Retriever Essentials Free Farmers Market has been cancelled. 

We will instead be fully stocked with fresh produce in our pantry for tomorrow morning, 04/03.

We sincerely apologize for any inconviences

Hi Everyone!

As said in the newsletter, our Free Farmers Market for today and next week will be held in the Center for Wellbeing. We hope to see you there!

Hello everyone, we hope you’ve had a great semester so far! We’re half way through already!

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Updates and Events:

The Global Pantry Initative:

We’re expanding our pantry’s flavors from around the world to highlight different cultures in our diverse community! For the month of April, we will be offering ingredients from West African and East Asian regions. Stop by and explore while supplies last!

Free Farmers Market Temporary Room Change on 04/02 and 04/09:

Thursday, April 2nd & April 9th. Center for Wellbeing

Our Free Farmers Market for the first two weeks will be in the Center For Wellbeing from 2:00pm - 2:45pm!

Special Earth Day Free Farmers Market

Monday, April 20th 12-1pm. Commons Terrace.

We’ve partnered with Chartwells, Student Success Initiatives, and the Office of Sustainability to bring you an additional Free Farmer’s Market during the Earth Day Fair! This market will be outside on the Commons Terrace and will be our biggest market yet.

Money Smart Week Session - How to make it work: Smart ways to use campus and community resources:

Wednesday, April 15th 12-1pm. Commons 318.

We’re hosting a session to teach how to navigate campus and community resources. We understand that a good budget can only get you so far when it’s stretched thin. We’re here to tell you that you’re not bad with money, we’re experiencing a challenging economy. With that in mind, you can still make it work by taking advantage of existing resources both on and off campus!

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Data:

In the month of March, we’ve distributed 8.3k lbs worth of food and other household essentials, with over 2k visits to our pantry! This also includes calculations from our Free Farmers Market on Thursdays, our mini pantry in the police station, and vending machine.

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Suggestion Box:

To improve our services, and try to address everyone's different needs, we would love to hear your feedback!

https://forms.gle/oUvd1EaMcmmasKFn8

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read  our newsletter.

If you have any questions about what we provide, volunteering opportunities, or general inquiries, feel free to email us at retrieveressentials@umbc.edu at any time!

Sincerely,

The Retriever Essentials Team

In collaboration with the Division of Institutional Equity and UMBC Campus Police:

Start by Believing: Supporting Disclosures of Sexual Violence

This workshop is designed for faculty and staff who may be the first person a survivor confides in.

Join us to:

• Learn about the Start by Believing campaign

• Build confidence in responding to disclosures of sexual assault, harassment, or domestic violence

• Strengthen our survivor-centered, trauma-informed campus community

Date: April 8, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: Virtual via Webex

Let’s work together to create a culture of support, and safety at UMBC

If you plan to attend please visit this post and choose "Sign Up Virtually".

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Hello Everyone!

Retriever Essentials will have a delayed opening until 1:00pm due to restocking from our Maryland Food Bank delivery. 

Please plan your trip accordingly, and we apologize for any inconviences. 

From  Melody Wright, Learning & Development Manager, HRSTM:

What is digital accessibility, and why does it matter in your work? If a student or community member couldn't access your materials or content, would you know what to do -- or how to fix it? Join this session to learn the foundational principles of digital accessibility, legal context, and core practices.

We'll share resources and common issues (including alt text for images), and where to find training support.

Session Objectives

• Identify key concepts and terminology related to digital accessibility

• Identify 6 most common accessibility issues and how to address them

• Apply the 3R framework to manage existing materials

• Describe basic steps staff can take to create accessible content

Whether you're creating documents, images, videos, managing a website, sending emails, or updating existing content, this virtual session will give you practical steps to get started. This session is open to all campus staff working with digital content. No prior accessibility experience needed.

Please see this myUMBC page to sign up.

Dear NESS, 

I serve on the strategic planning steering committee and  co-lead  the Cultivate Innovation and Vitality (COIV) Pillar with Nancy Kusmaul, Cael Mulcahy and Eli Gendleman.  

We are conducting outreach to various University & community stakeholders to ensure our strategic plan reflects diverse perspectives. Specifically, we are looking to identify potential ideas for ambitious goals and brainstorm the opportunities and challenges that the University may face in the coming years.

We would greatly like to encourage you to complete the strategic plan survey that was sent to the University Community late last week. The survey contains 5 sections-one for each Pillar - and you can choose ahead of time which sections specific you would like to complete.

Additionally, if after reviewing the COIV Pillar Section of the survey, you would like to have a deeper discussion, please feel free to contact me directly.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind regards,

Crocetta

cargent1@umbc.edu