Central Michigan University is opening a food pantry to fight food insecurity among students.
The pantry is planned to start distributing food on Tuesday between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., with more distributions planned for one more time in December and every other Tuesday during the spring semester. It is ran by the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center.
The pantry, located in the basement of Robinson Hall on CMU’s campus, is filled with boxed and canned food items, such as soup, peanut butter and vegetables, along with several coolers that contain meat, fish and other refrigerated and frozen items. The food is supplied primarily by the Greater Lansing Food Bank, a nonprofit organization that allows pantries to receive food at a discounted price.
The Office of Student Affairs found that 30 percent of students that they surveyed said that they experienced hunger due to a lack of money. They also found that around 3,000 students may be struggling with food insecurity.
“We focus on helping those students have the abilities to make nutritious meals,” said Kourtney Koch, graduate assistant for the Student Food Pantry. “They all live in the surrounding community and student hunger is something not a lot of people think about.”
The only requirement to receive assistance is to be a student at the university, according to Koch. So far, around 75 students have registered for the pantry. That number climbs to roughly 100 if children of students are considered, according to Koch.
Koch said that the need for the pantry comes as a result of rising tuition and the effects that hunger can have on a student’s education. Higher education research firm EAB found in a cross-campus study that students who suffer from hunger are 15 times more likely to fail a class.
The pantry is funded by private donors, alumni and corporate sponsors, according to Koch. Overall, the pantry has raised over $10,000, with a goal of reaching $25,000 at the end of the year, according to Bryan Griffin, director of annual giving at the university. He also said that the pantry had around $53,000 to work with at the start.
“We’re going to be doing a fundraiser for Giving Tuesday,” Koch said. “Other than that, we’re not doing any other fundraisers, but we’re always accepting donations.
Several volunteers have signed up to work at the pantry, with the volunteer roster of 15 being filled within a few hours of the sign-up’s announcement, Koch said.
In the past, Koch has volunteered at other pantries, including the Community Compassion Network, located at the Strickler Center at 1114 West High Street.
“I’m very much motivated to help students in the community who need the assistance,” she said.
For the future of the pantry, Koch sees a focus on maintaining stability to make sure it lasts for a long time, she said.
The pantry was developed over the span of a few years, according to Koch. It started with a collection of faculty and staff addressing the issue of how hunger is affecting the students on campus.
“Last year, they proposed a food pantry for the students, which was approved by then-president George Ross,” she said. “It just came from passionate people who wanted to do something on campus.”
Those who are interested in supporting the pantry can provide donations through CMU’s website. Students who would like to sign up for assistance can fill out a registration form online.
