The additional space will allow the pantry to have cooking demonstrations and educate visitors on healthy food choices and seasonal produce.
When the Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry opened in 2015, it was meant to fight against food insecurity on campus.
With its latest expansion, more University of Florida students, staff and faculty members concerned about where their next meal is coming from can be assured there will be enough food on the table.
UF officials announced last week that the Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry will be expanded, making more space for non-perishable food items as well as fresh produce from the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens, among other additions.
The pantry will triple in size, from 485 square feet to 1,718 square feet.
According to College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Elaine Turner, the additional space will allow the pantry to have cooking demonstrations and to educate visitors on healthy food choices and seasonal produce. Also included will be a dedicated area for storage and processing of donations.
The project broke ground May 7, and officials hope to have it completed in the fall.
“We envisioned that there was the capacity for the pantry to expand and hoped that one day we would be at this moment,” said Ambre Hobson, assistant director for student success. “As we were opening … at that moment we also were not exactly sure what our traffic, what our need would be, how many folks would take advantage of the resource, so there was a tentative hope.”
The pantry has a temporary location in Rawlings Hall during the expansion.
The project’s cost comes to $785,000, of which $635,000 will come from the Capital Improvement Trust Fund (CITF). The CITF is funded by student fees through tuition and utilized only for the construction, renovation and improvement of student-related facilities.
The remaining $150,000 is a gift from Alan Hitchcock, of Hitchcock Markets, and his wife, Cathy.
The pantry offers non-perishable food, toiletries and fresh produce free for students, faculty and staff with valid UF ID. It recommends that visitors take no more than a week’s worth of supplies.
For people like fourth-year student Angela Rodriguez, the pantry has allowed her to keep her attention on her classes instead of worrying about her next meal.
According to the press release, the pantry has given away food some 39,000 times since opening in 2015 and receives over 5,000 pounds of donated fresh produce from the CALS-operated Field & Fork Farm and Gardens annually.
