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Did you know nearly 40% of college students face food insecurity? Food insecurity among college students happens for many reasons, some being the cost of food and lack of resources for students to get access to food in non-traditional ways.
The AUM Food Pantry serves anywhere from 75-100 students a week, but Food Pantry Chair Sarah Bagget said numbers vary. “We may have days where we serve 40 students and others where we may serve 10, so it really depends,” she said.
The number of students that visit the pantry also has an effect on how well the pantry is stocked. When asked how the pantry deals with low stock Bagget said, “Because the number of students using the food pantry differs, so does our stock. We normally have one big donation event at the beginning of a semester, and we try to make the donations received last through that whole semester. However, I would say our team of Honors students who volunteer to work the food pantry and stock it, do a very good job of communicating needs with us and keeping the food pantry stocked.”
AUM offers a resource for students who may be facing food insecurity. WIth a student ID AUM students can go to the food pantry located on the third floor of the Taylor Center in 316E and take up to 10 items from the pantry. The pantry is also in need of donations. “We’re well stocked on canned vegetables, but can always use breakfast items, protein bars, pasta, rice, ramen noodles, and mac and cheese,” as stated on the AUM Food Pantry website.
The pantry does its best to stay fully stocked mainly through donations. Bagget said, “the only program we work with to receive food other than donations is the Heart of Alabama Food Bank. We normally receive one shipment from them a semester. “Our main source of food comes from donations from athletic teams, clubs, or events on campus.”
The Heart of Alabama is an affiliate of Feeding America that was established in 1986 with the help of the local United Way Community Council and the American Red Cross. The Heart of Alabama isn’t the only source of donations. Bagget added, “Our main source of food comes from donations from athletic teams, clubs, or events on campus.”
Bagget and the AUM Honors Program also have a process for expired items. “If any of our food is past its expiration date but is still safe to eat, we put it on a designated table in front of the food pantry for anyone to take,” she said. On that table is a sheet that explains what an expiration date is and how to know if the food is safe to eat. “If we find that we have an item that is past its expiration date and unsafe to eat, we throw it away. Thankfully, this does not happen often,” said Bagget.
Even though they are a food bank per say, the campus food pantry’s main focus is in helping AUM students. Freshman student worker Emily Mason was asked about how she likes the contents of the food bank. “There is a lot of food but there is also other stuff like toothpaste and deodorant not just food,” Mason added.
The AUM Food Pantry is available for students Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information visit their website or email the pantry at UHPFoodPantry@aum.edu.
