Sara Hantgan
Director of Donor Relations
University of Michigan '25
Pursuing a B.S. in Information Sciences with a concentration in Information Analysis on the premedical track
Allergies: sesame, mustard, banana
Hometown: Westchester, NY
Sara is interested in the broader implementation of technology in the healthcare landscape to improve accessibility, patient education, and chronic disease outcomes. She is a student research assistant at Montefiore Health System/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. On the Michigan campus, she is on the editorial board for the Undergraduate Journal of Public Health and is the VP of Finance for Miss STEM Careers, an organization that aims to provide educational programs to young women regarding STEM careers with substantial gender gaps.
Growing up with a laundry list of food allergies, I have experienced firsthand challenges with finding safe food in public places. I quickly learned the negative implications of having food allergies as a result of the lack of education on food allergy safety and the ambiguity of food labeling.
These challenges increase tremendously for food-insecure or pantry-reliant individuals with any form of dietary restriction. My past projects have found that food allergy safety knowledge in adolescents is limited in my hometown. I’ve learned that educational initiatives and interventions in schools across the US vary widely depending on the economic status of the school district.
With the backdrop of this personal work, I am passionate about SSF’s focus on partnering with and educating pantries to ensure the safety of pantry visitors with dietary restrictions. I am proud to be apart of an all-women team at SSF that understands the gravity of managing a food allergy and promotes equity in the food bank system at large.
