CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Financial aid may help some students be able to attend the University of Virginia, but it does not always mean students have the means and access to feed themselves. Student-run organizations such as the UVA Community Food Pantry work to fill that gap.
Rachael Hazlett said she is so grateful financial aid from Access UVA covers her tuition, which typically covers on-grounds housing and a meal plan too. However, when she took a class in January over winter break, that wasn't the case.
"During J-Term a lot of the dining halls are closed or they have very specific hours,” said Hazlett. “And what I ran into was that the dining hall was only open during the hours of my class."
Hazlett suddenly had to figure out where to get food.
"During lunchtime, something that I became aware of was that a lot of my peers were able to go to the Corner and every single day buy meals that were $10 to $13 in price and I didn't have the luxury of doing that," said Hazlett.
Hazlett does not have a car and UVA buses tend to not run as much during breaks, so grocery stores were inaccessible to her too.
"It's very distracting to be trying to do your homework and only feel the gnawing in your stomach,” said Hazlett.
That need is why students like Mairin Shea started the UVA Community Food Pantry.
"I think we're just here to be a resource,” said Shea. “We're not a solution to any problem. We're just a band-aid on a bigger issue."
In April 2018 the Wisconsin Hope Lab surveyed 43,000 students at 66 universities and colleges across the United States. 36 percent of university students were found to be food insecure in a 30-day period.
"The University of Virginia did not participate in the HOPE Lab study,” said Shea, “And so one of the reasons we opened was not only to provide a resource for students but to also show there was a need among UVA students."
The food pantry measures food insecurity at the University by keeping track of how many pounds of food is given away,” said Shea. “Spring of 2019 they gave away 600 pounds of food.
"Our recommended donations right now are definitely canned proteins, canned tuna, salmon, chicken," said Shea.
They also take boxed foods, snacks, breakfast bars, canned fruit, canned vegetables, and sanitary products.
Currently, they are located in the Runk Green Room next to Runk Dining Hall. Next semester they will be moving to the Student Activities Center in Newcomb Hall which has a refrigerator so they can provide fresh food.
Hazlett said she now uses her experience in the Food Insecurity Research Group at UVA, to help pinpoint solutions.
"People shouldn't be ashamed if they're food insecure and I know what an incredibly difficult situation it is,” said Hazelett. “And if you are food insecure definitely look into the food pantries at UVA."
The UVA Community Food Pantry is open this semester Monday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. People can pick up food or drop off food to donate at those times.
Another resource Hazelett mentioned helps students with food insecurity was Greens to Grounds, which delivers fresh produce from local farms to students at a low cost.
