An equation for success

Bmore Community Food founder J.C. Faulk speaks to a student. Hopkins students use applied math to help local food distribution operation The coursework is helping Bmore Community Food meet the needs of more people in the city while also teaching the students about food insecurity in Baltimore. Johns Hopkins University math students are creating tools to support a Baltimore food distribution effort for those in need. Through the course Mathematics for a Better World, the students are working to improve the operations of Bmore Community Food , an organization that receives food donations and distributes more than 15,000 pounds of food each week to approximately 200 families. "This course has given them a chance to test their database and machine learning skills for a good cause," said Fadil Santosa , the head of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Johns Hopkins. Santosa learned about Bmore Community Food through his wife, who volunteers there. He created the community-based learning course through the Johns Hopkins Center for Social Concern , knowing his students could not only help a worthwhile project, but learn a lot about food insecurity in Baltimore.