The VISTA Project

Courtney Insley served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Towson University Northeastern Maryland (TUNE). Her primary mission was to launch, manage, and scale the campus "FoodShare" pantry program to address food insecurity among students and support overall retention. Faced with the steep operational curves of establishing a new resource from scratch, Courtney dedicated her service year to creating an organized, approachable, and data-driven support system for the TUNE campus community.

The Challenge
Launching a brand-new campus food pantry comes with distinct logistical and cultural barriers. Initially, Courtney encountered lower-than-expected student utilization, navigating the complex challenge of marketing a resource that carries a persistent societal stigma. Reaching a commuter or satellite campus population required moving past standard passive advertising (like flyers and brochures) to overcome students' hesitation, fear of judgment, or lack of awareness regarding their eligibility to receive food assistance.

The Solution
Courtney utilized perseverance and open-mindedness to transform the FoodShare into a welcoming, highly proactive campus hub. To secure inventory, she forged a vital community partnership with Thy Kingdom Come’ Ministry (via connections at Oak Grove), executing a massive donation drive that completely filled two vehicles with canned goods, fresh produce, and essential resources. Courtney subsequently institutionalized this partnership by bringing the ministry's leadership onto the FoodShare advisory board. To counter the stigma of food insecurity, she expanded her outreach directly into classrooms, ran targeted Instagram and newsletter campaigns, and implemented a standardized check-out tracking form and demographic survey to ensure the program directly met the diverse housing, financial, and cultural needs of the TUNE student body.

The Legacy
Courtney’s structural development ensured that the TUNE FoodShare grew from an empty room into a sustainable, community-backed operation. By designing robust data-collection methods—including disaggregated demographic metrics—she established a system capable of identifying equity disparities and tracking long-term student outcomes. Beyond her core project, Courtney deepened her community impact by spearheading local volunteer initiatives, including coordinating virtual support letters for first responders and managing a "Green Up Your Neighborhood" local environmental clean-up event for the 9/11 Day of Service.

Life After VISTA

Courtney has seamlessly translated her VISTA experience in food security operations and community relationship-building into a full-time leadership role. She currently serves as the Food Advocacy Assistant Director at the Harford Community Action Agency (HCAA) in Harford County, Maryland. In this role, Courtney assists with the daily operations of HCAA's Food Pantry, oversees the Youth Services Initiative (YSI) program, and assists community partners with the agency's Mobile Pantry unit. Directly applying the "WITH" and "BY" community models she championed during service, Courtney also facilitates a 6-week Food Advocacy course for families navigating financial hardships and provides critical case management to help clients apply for wrap-around services, like SNAP benefits, on their path toward self-sufficiency.