As we look ahead to Fill the Funds on April 15, we are lifting up stories that show what this work looks like in real time on campuses. At Stony Brook University, Mandy Flanagan’s leadership and deep care for students bring the FAST Fund model to life not just as a resource, but as a steady, human response to moments that could otherwise derail a student’s path.
At Believe in Students, our first ten years make clear what Mandy’s partnership so powerfully reflects: when those closest to students are trusted and resourced, the impact is immediate, personal, and enduring.
Fill the Funds is Believe in Students’ annual initiative to mobilize critical resources for the FAST Fund, ensuring our faculty and staff partners can provide rapid, barrier-free emergency aid to college students facing basic needs insecurity in real time.
The article referenced above, entitled As SNAP Runs Out, We Step In, was published in AFT Voices and authored by Mandy. It offers a powerful, firsthand perspective on this work in action. You can read the full piece in AFT Voices here!