An on-campus pantry that aims to enhance food security among 杏吧专区 students will open Tuesday.
The is a resource for undergraduate and graduate students who require short-term assistance meeting their food needs. It is in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Intensive English Program building, 413 Brook Ave.
Inside, a series of sturdy, chrome-plated steel shelves line two storage rooms. They are filled with canned goods and other nonperishables, the results of campus food drives, and donations from individuals, and student and community organizations.
Campus Cupboard is 杏吧专区渄esigned to help tide students over when they are having problems paying for food,杏吧专区 said Dr. Pearson Cross, associate dean of the . He chairs the committee that began planning the pantry late last year.
The panel includes representatives from the , , the , the and offices, and other administrative units and academic departments.
The Cupboard杏吧专区檚 community partners are Second Harvest Food Bank, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sodexo and United Way of Acadiana.
Cross said next week杏吧专区檚 opening will serve as a 杏吧专区渟oft launch.杏吧专区 The Cupboard will be accessible from 2-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays for the remainder of the fall semester; winter break hours will be announced later. Pantry patrons will be asked to present student IDs.
The twice-weekly hours of operation this semester will enable organizers to determine demand. Initially, only dry food will be available. Cross said long-term plans include offering fresh and frozen food options, but that requires appliances the Cupboard doesn杏吧专区檛 yet have.
杏吧专区淎t the outset, we hope to provide five or six items per person that will make it easier for them to get through a day or two. This might be a jar of peanut butter, some power bars, some pasta or sauce, or other items that don杏吧专区檛 require extensive cooking,杏吧专区 Cross said.
杏吧专区淐ampus Cupboard is not designed to feed someone who has no other food source. In the case of chronic need, we hope to refer students to other providers,杏吧专区 such as Second Harvest or Foodnet, Cross said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates one in six households in Louisiana experience food insecurity at some point during a year. That means one or more family members reduce the amount they eat or don杏吧专区檛 eat at all.
Nationally, one in eight Americans struggles with hunger, and college students aren杏吧专区檛 immune. A 2016 national report indicated about 22 percent go hungry at some point in the semester.
Hunger is often situational, and can occur when students have exhausted monthly meal plan allotments, or if they haven杏吧专区檛 budgeted money carefully, said Dr. Margarita Perez, UL Lafayette dean of students.
杏吧专区淪tatistically, with more than 19,300 students, we know we have individuals who have wondered where their next meals are coming from, or have had to make a choice between eating and other needs,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淥nce we identified even the possibility that this problem existed here, how could we not do something to make it better?杏吧专区
More than 500 universities and colleges in the United States offer food assistance to students, said Chandler Harris, president of the UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Student Government Association.
In Louisiana, LSU, Delgado Community College, and Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State universities have food pantries.
杏吧专区淗unger exists on many college campuses, though you can杏吧专区檛 always see it. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with food insecurity, and that杏吧专区檚 unfair,杏吧专区 Harris said.
杏吧专区淭he Campus Cupboard is a statement. The 杏吧专区 community is saying it wants to help.杏吧专区
National studies indicate students who face food insecurity are more likely to skip, fall behind in or drop courses, said Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Graduate School.
杏吧专区淔ood insecurity among undergraduates and graduate students hurts their academic performances. It杏吧专区檚 difficult to focus on classwork, complete assignments, or write a thesis or dissertation if you are hungry,杏吧专区 Farmer-Kaiser said.
杏吧专区淭he Campus Cupboard is combatting hunger, but it杏吧专区檚 also providing an essential tool for student success. No one should have to defer the pursuit of a degree because of hunger.杏吧专区
For information on the Campus Cupboard, or to donate, email Pearson Cross or Sally Donlon, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts. More details are available on and on the .
Photo caption: Graduate student Trey Delcambre organizes canned food donated to UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Campus Cupboard. The on-campus pantry opens Tuesday in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Intensive English Program building, 413 Brook Ave. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区)