Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother | Mount
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Archived: 2026-04-23 17:12
Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother | Mount
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Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother
Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother
Mount Holyoke College student Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo ’27 is an awardee of this year’s Project for Peace grants from Middlebury College. She will launch a year-round food pantry in her hometown.
Featuring
Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo 2027
She/her
Middlebury College has announced the
2026 Projects for Peace
grant recipients. These grants offer young adults the opportunity to develop innovative, community-based solutions for pressing global issues. Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo ’27 from Idimu, Nigeria, received a grant for her project, “Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry,” named in honor of Akinkuolie-Ibidapo’s grandmother.
Betty’s Table of Hope, a biweekly food pantry, addresses severe food insecurity in her hometown, Idimu, Lagos State. The initiative expands a seasonal relief program into consistent support for vulnerable families.
“By having this food pantry in place, [people] can redirect their funds to other needs, like education, hospital bills or even starting a small business,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said. “This past summer, I completed a
Lynk-funded
independent study with
Rick Feldman
, comparing food insecurity in Boston, Massachusetts, [with that in] Lagos, Nigeria. I found out that many families are forced to choose between putting food on the table and sending their children to school. Instead of making that difficult decision of ‘We’re going to eat today, but you’re not going to school anymore,’ this pantry allows families to do both. It creates options not just to address food insecurity but [also] to elevate themselves out of poverty.””
She and her family have volunteered over the years with Christ Apostolic Church Olubori for its seasonal food distribution. Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry will work in partnership with this church. “No one should have to wait until Christmas to get food on the table,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said.
She has been thinking about applying for Projects for Peace since she was a first-year student. She was initially unsure of a focus area and explored various paths through internships. She worked with
Sister to Sister International
, which runs humanitarian initiatives in Ghana, and interned with
United for Kids Foundation
, a Nigerian NGO that supports children through education, health care and poverty-relief programs.
The moment her grandmother shared a story about a participant in their December food program who had gone 12 years without a Christmas meal before attending the event, she decided to focus on food insecurity. With the help of Feldman and the
Fellowships Office
, she fine-tuned her idea.
“My initial idea was to do a food truck,” she said. “But then, after calculating the expenses and everything and also [keeping] the roads in mind, [I realized that] a food truck wouldn’t have made sense.”
Akinkuolie-Ibidapo reached out to one of last year’s awardees,
Alexandra Mihailopol ’26
. Mihailopol offered guidance as a recent recipient, helping her navigate the application process. “She said, ‘Honestly, it looks intense, but it’s not as intense; as long as you have the ideas in mind and you know what you want to do and you have a support system, it’s good,’” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo recalled.
One of Akinkuolie-Ibidapo’s roommates at MHC Semester in D.C.,
Axelle Tougouma
, was also a past awardee. Tougouma provided insights into the experience, including training, budgeting and what it’s like to lead a team remotely — something Akinkuolie-Ibidapo will be doing this summer.
“What a joy it is to see Testimony’s years of persistence pay off,” said
Briana Chace ’17
, associate director of fellowships. “I was smiling all week after I heard the news. Some version of this idea has been percolating since she matriculated, and Testimony now has the support she needs to fulfill her dream of creating sustainable impact for her community in Nigeria. I’m so excited to see it come to fruition.”
Akinkuolie-Ibidapo will work online this summer to launch Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry in time for the anniversary of her grandmother’s passing. “Just as my grandmother believed, I too believe [that] reliable access to food will reduce desperation and create conditions for peace and opportunity,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said.
Written By
Christian Feuerstein
She/her
Published
April 23, 2026
Tags:
News Article
Activism and Social Justice
Alum
Awards and Honors
BIPOC
Fellowships
International
Staff
Student
Contact Us
Office of Marketing and Communications
The Office of Marketing and Communications amplifies Mount Holyoke's distinctive strengths and unique stories.
communications@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-2899
Lower Level, Mary Woolley Hall
Christian Feuerstein
Director of Public Affairs and Media Relations
cfeuerst@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-2793
Quick links
Visit Mount Holyoke
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Home
News & Stories
All News & Stories
Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother
Fighting food insecurity in memory of her grandmother
Mount Holyoke College student Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo ’27 is an awardee of this year’s Project for Peace grants from Middlebury College. She will launch a year-round food pantry in her hometown.
Featuring
Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo 2027
She/her
Middlebury College has announced the
2026 Projects for Peace
grant recipients. These grants offer young adults the opportunity to develop innovative, community-based solutions for pressing global issues. Oluwafadeyemi Testimony Akinkuolie-Ibidapo ’27 from Idimu, Nigeria, received a grant for her project, “Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry,” named in honor of Akinkuolie-Ibidapo’s grandmother.
Betty’s Table of Hope, a biweekly food pantry, addresses severe food insecurity in her hometown, Idimu, Lagos State. The initiative expands a seasonal relief program into consistent support for vulnerable families.
“By having this food pantry in place, [people] can redirect their funds to other needs, like education, hospital bills or even starting a small business,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said. “This past summer, I completed a
Lynk-funded
independent study with
Rick Feldman
, comparing food insecurity in Boston, Massachusetts, [with that in] Lagos, Nigeria. I found out that many families are forced to choose between putting food on the table and sending their children to school. Instead of making that difficult decision of ‘We’re going to eat today, but you’re not going to school anymore,’ this pantry allows families to do both. It creates options not just to address food insecurity but [also] to elevate themselves out of poverty.””
She and her family have volunteered over the years with Christ Apostolic Church Olubori for its seasonal food distribution. Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry will work in partnership with this church. “No one should have to wait until Christmas to get food on the table,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said.
She has been thinking about applying for Projects for Peace since she was a first-year student. She was initially unsure of a focus area and explored various paths through internships. She worked with
Sister to Sister International
, which runs humanitarian initiatives in Ghana, and interned with
United for Kids Foundation
, a Nigerian NGO that supports children through education, health care and poverty-relief programs.
The moment her grandmother shared a story about a participant in their December food program who had gone 12 years without a Christmas meal before attending the event, she decided to focus on food insecurity. With the help of Feldman and the
Fellowships Office
, she fine-tuned her idea.
“My initial idea was to do a food truck,” she said. “But then, after calculating the expenses and everything and also [keeping] the roads in mind, [I realized that] a food truck wouldn’t have made sense.”
Akinkuolie-Ibidapo reached out to one of last year’s awardees,
Alexandra Mihailopol ’26
. Mihailopol offered guidance as a recent recipient, helping her navigate the application process. “She said, ‘Honestly, it looks intense, but it’s not as intense; as long as you have the ideas in mind and you know what you want to do and you have a support system, it’s good,’” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo recalled.
One of Akinkuolie-Ibidapo’s roommates at MHC Semester in D.C.,
Axelle Tougouma
, was also a past awardee. Tougouma provided insights into the experience, including training, budgeting and what it’s like to lead a team remotely — something Akinkuolie-Ibidapo will be doing this summer.
“What a joy it is to see Testimony’s years of persistence pay off,” said
Briana Chace ’17
, associate director of fellowships. “I was smiling all week after I heard the news. Some version of this idea has been percolating since she matriculated, and Testimony now has the support she needs to fulfill her dream of creating sustainable impact for her community in Nigeria. I’m so excited to see it come to fruition.”
Akinkuolie-Ibidapo will work online this summer to launch Betty’s Table of Hope Food Pantry in time for the anniversary of her grandmother’s passing. “Just as my grandmother believed, I too believe [that] reliable access to food will reduce desperation and create conditions for peace and opportunity,” Akinkuolie-Ibidapo said.
Written By
Christian Feuerstein
She/her
Published
April 23, 2026
Tags:
News Article
Activism and Social Justice
Alum
Awards and Honors
BIPOC
Fellowships
International
Staff
Student
Contact Us
Office of Marketing and Communications
The Office of Marketing and Communications amplifies Mount Holyoke's distinctive strengths and unique stories.
communications@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-2899
Lower Level, Mary Woolley Hall
Christian Feuerstein
Director of Public Affairs and Media Relations
cfeuerst@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-2793
Quick links
Visit Mount Holyoke
Request Information
Apply