TAMPA — It started with apples.
Then Rebecca Todd, an assistant professor at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus, set out granola bars. In each instance, the snacks would disappear before the end of class.
Todd, who teaches anthropology, conferred with a few colleagues who related similar experiences. Moving on a hunch, Todd put out a survey that confirmed what she and other professors already knew: students were suffering from food insecurity.
Wanting to help, Todd shared her findings with administrators who jumped on board with the idea to establish a campus food pantry. The pantry – a partnership between the HCC Foundation and Feeding Tampa Bay — celebrated its grand opening earlier this month.
The goal is for the pantry, formally known as the Food Education Deport, to be a reliable source for nutritious food, Todd said.
“It gives (students) more long-term solutions,” she said. “It’s all about humanizing the experience of college.”
The lack of availability and access to nutritious food is a economic and social condition that is increasingly affecting college students. A recent study by Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that more than a third of college students are food insecure.
Todd said she and her team researched similar initiatives at other colleges and found that some give away pre-packed bags of food or limit the number of items students can take.
HCC’s pantry was designed to give students more of a shopping experience that implements the school’s values and honors student’s dignity, she said.
“A lot of people questioned whether it is the responsibility of the college because this is college, not high school,” she said. “But it’s about recognizing there are very real barriers to academic success and hunger is one of them.”
Dustin Lemke, dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communications, concurred, saying colleges must take a holistic approach when it comes to helping students achieve their goal of earning a degree.
“We have tutoring and counseling but another one of those pieces, I think, is food,” he said. “You can’t stay up until 11 p.m. to study if you can’t concentrate.”
Carlo Cabrera, president of the Student Government Association, said the pantry’s arrival on campus is a godsend as many students are struggling to budget for food and school-related expenses.
There are students who use the pantry every week, he said.
“This program is one of the most important things we’ve done,” he said. “It’s definitely a big help.”
Located in an office fashioned into a makeshift grocery store, the pantry’s walls are lined with shelves stocked with canned tuna, chicken, and chili and boxes of pasta, rice, and cereal. Cartons of milk and some toiletries – like body wash and tissue – also are available.
All items are free. Students only have to show their campus identification to gain access to the pantry, which is staffed with the help of about 40 volunteers.
The pantry, which opened at the start of the semester, has served about 2,500 pounds of food to about 550 students, Todd said.
“It’s been a labor of love,” she said. “We’re excited.”
Contact Kenya Woodard at [email protected]
