In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) provided interventions to prevent or alleviate hunger among students. Through its Central Library, the university gave free food and drinks to students in every examination period of the year, when students spend the longest hours on campus and are most at risk of going hungry. The library opened 24 hours a day and set up food distribution points where any student could collect snacks, fruit, cup noodles and drinks at no cost. These interventions were direct and practical: food was handed straight to students, at the time and place they needed it, so that no student had to study on an empty stomach. The university also provides free weekly meals for students from rural and low-income communities at its demonstration school in Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai.

Free food for students during the midterm examinations, 22 September – 2 October 2025

During the midterm examinations of the first semester of the 2025 academic year, the SWU Central Library opened 24 hours a day from 22 September to 2 October 2025 and gave free food and drinks to students throughout this period. On 30 September 2025, the Director of the Central Library, Asst. Prof. Dr. Woraphon Aramrussameekul, M.D., together with the Deputy Directors of the library and a representative of the SWU Alumni Association, handed out snacks and drinks to students in person. The SWU Alumni Association donated tamarind juice and Thai Airways fruit juice, and Premier Marketing Public Company Limited donated Taro snacks, showing how the university mobilised partners to supply food to students.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/libswu/posts/pfbid09ebLNgAXH1ayaeAgDZb5AMHpeCH1GXJBucWVBFucEzu2SYa1uNYPuwPsi4bZwhjBl

Source: https://www.facebook.com/libswu/posts/pfbid0JDcDX1xrHgtJuUG1MZ2XV48pWWUrhoVpkjUAQPLELWZM4iaJk9Zt4SbsMxoLA5Kbl

Free food for students during the final examinations, 10 November – 4 December 2025

The library repeated the intervention during the final examinations. From 10 November to 4 December 2025, it opened 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday and again provided free food and drinks to students studying late into the night. On 3 December 2025, the Director, the Deputy Director for Administration and Strategy and library staff served iced cocoa and a full selection of snacks to students preparing for their last examinations.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/libswu/posts/pfbid0CSsxf5Lig9A4D1XPYPRqnA6QeCnALBGvC32VjS1uy5N78wEn4V22oBqA8Hq9d7LBl

Source: https://www.facebook.com/libswu/posts/pfbid0mPwtMZSvDPcF2NoePDmrWNzAtD1kUq1kVEv3p2t3kfDUUc1QZLg5AbZ6amJibEoJl

Reaching students when they need it most

Examination weeks are the time when students are most likely to skip meals. Many stay at the library late into the night, when campus canteens are closed, and have little time or money left for proper food. By bringing food directly to the library, SWU made sure that students could eat while they studied. Because the food was free and open to every student, those who could not afford to buy a meal late at night could eat without having to ask for help. Through these interventions to alleviate hunger among students, SWU supports students' well-being and learning and contributes to SDG 2: Zero Hunger.

Figure 1: Students receiving free snacks and drinks at the SWU Central Library during the 2025 examination period (left), and boxes of snacks prepared for students (right)

Figure 2: Students with free drinks and snacks from the Central Library during the examination period

Figure 3: Central Library executives and staff handing out fruit, snacks and drinks to students

Figure 4: Students with free food from the Central Library, supported by partners of the library

Figure 5: Central Library executives, staff and partners at the food distribution point (left), and cakes and snacks prepared for students (right)

Figure 6: Students collecting free cakes and snacks (left), and students with free bananas (right) at the Central Library

Figure 7: Free cup noodles and hot water for students studying late at the library (left), and students with iced cocoa and snacks during the final examinations (right)

Free weekly meals for students from rural and low-income communities in Mae Chaem

SWU also provides free meals for students at the Srinakharinwirot University Demonstration School, Somdejya Learning Community, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province. Many of these students come from remote, rural and low-income households, where the daily cost of food can be a heavy burden for families. By providing meals free of charge, the university makes sure that financial hardship does not stop these students from getting the nutrition they need while they learn.

In 2025, the school ran the Supplementary Menu (Menu Serm) intervention every week to add nutrition to students' daily meals. The activity is funded on a regular basis by Asst. Prof. Chawalit Sungyai, Director of Prasarnmit Demonstration School (Secondary), so that students in Mae Chaem receive an extra, nutritious meal each week at no cost. Students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 work together to design the menu, plan the ingredients, buy the food and cook it, and the meal is then shared by the whole school. The intervention therefore does two things at once: it gives students more and better food, and it teaches them life skills in planning, teamwork and healthy cooking that they can use at home.

Figure 8: Students with the supplementary meals they prepared for the whole school, SWU Demonstration School, Somdejya Learning Community, Mae Chaem

Figure 9: Older and younger students with dishes and snacks from the weekly supplementary menu activity

Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02G6RDgRN1VfQJV69zWMm565CXGqbKmqXVT8ctUoxPV2pEWCj7AGnyunU59QSU2SDal&id=100064566679165

To sustain this support, SWU mobilises funding from external donors for student meals, including a donation of THB 300,000 to cover food expenses at the Mae Chaem Demonstration School. This partnership with supporters outside the university helps to keep the free meal programme running and to improve the nutrition and well-being of students in this remote area.