Fayetteville State University Food Pantry Reopens
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | October 19, 2021 | In NewsJacqueline Leibman
Under the supervision of the Division of Student Affairs and with the help of community partners, the Bronco Food Pantry reopened on Thursday, October 14, in the C.J. Barber Administration Building.
The pantry, which relies on donations and volunteers, is open to all FSU students (full and part-time), faculty and staff. To register, students should visit the pantry to fill out an electronic form. The form is semi-anonymous as students input their Banner ID instead of their name and designate whether they live on or off campus. They will then select 7-10 items they need, like shopping at the store, which will then be bagged by the volunteers and given back to them. Those utilizing the pantry are limited to two visits a month.
For Kamaria Marshall, a senior psychology major, working as one of three student attendants is personal: “It means a lot not only to me but to all of [the pantry workers] because I know there are a lot of students who are afraid to say they need food or groceries and I feel like this could help a lot of people.”
A large majority of the food is bought from Food Lion using their $10,000 donation which was given back in April, while the additional $10,000 grant given by the Department of Access and Student Success is used to purchase other non-food items such as dryer sheets and deodorant.
The food pantry originally opened in February 2019, in the old cashier’s window on the first floor of the Barber Administration Building. It is sponsored by Food Lion—a North Carolina company based out of Salisbury—through the Food Lion Feeds initiative which has partnered with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference schools to establish pantries in 13 CIAA towns and cities. As a CIAA member, Fayetteville State University received a donation in 2019 of $10,000 worth of product, shelving and other resources needed to establish the food pantry.
Food Lion donated another $10,000 to the pantry on Thursday along with $2,000 to Sha’More Lowery, Miss Fayetteville State University 2021-2022. The FSU Royal Court decided to donate $1,000 in support of the FSU food pantry and the remaining $1,000 to provide hunger relief in the Fayetteville community.
Based on a survey conducted in March 2021, 41% of FSU students indicated they have experienced food insecurity within the last year. Cumberland Country is listed as a Tier I county by the NC Department of Commerce. Tier I designation indicates the most distressed counties in the state based on four factors: average unemployment rate, median household income, percentage growth in population, and the adjusted property tax base per capita. 80% of FSU students come from rural counties, the majority being Tier 1 and Tier 2.
“We are an institution like no other institution in the UNC system,” Chancellor Allison stated, “there is no way we are going to be our best self as an academic institution and not have a food pantry. Students in 2021 are not machines. They’re human beings, and if we want them to be their best academic self, we know we are going to need to have proper support in order for them to be so, and so proper nourishment, food is critically important.”
The Bronco Pantry hours are Tuesday 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 1 p.m.- 6 p.m., and Friday 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.
For information regarding donating items or monetary gifts, or more information for the FSU community on how to volunteer, please contact the Food Pantry Director, Lisa Wallace, at lwallac3@uncfsu.edu.
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