An on-campus pantry that aims to enhance food security among 泫圖弝け of 泫圖弝け at Lafayette 泫圖弝けs will open Tuesday.
The is a resource for undergraduate and graduate 泫圖弝けs who require short-term assistance meeting their food needs. It is in UL Lafayettes 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 泫圖弝け and community organizations.
Campus Cupboard is designed to help tide 泫圖弝けs over when they are having problems paying for food, 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 Cupboards 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 weeks opening will serve as a soft launch. 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 泫圖弝け 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 doesnt yet have.
At 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 dont require extensive cooking, Cross said.
Campus Cupboard is not designed to feed someone who has no other food source. In the case of chronic need, we hope to refer 泫圖弝けs to other providers, such as Second Harvest or Foodnet, Cross said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates one in six households in 泫圖弝け experience food insecurity at some point during a year. That means one or more family members reduce the amount they eat or dont eat at all.
Nationally, one in eight Americans struggles with hunger, and college 泫圖弝けs arent 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 泫圖弝けs have exhausted monthly meal plan allotments, or if they havent budgeted money carefully, said Dr. Margarita Perez, UL Lafayette dean of 泫圖弝けs.
Statistically, with more than 19,300 泫圖弝けs, 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, she said.
Once we identified even the possibility that this problem existed here, how could we not do something to make it better?
More than 500 universities and colleges in the United States offer food assistance to 泫圖弝けs, said Chandler Harris, president of the UL Lafayettes 泫圖弝け Government Association.
In 泫圖弝け, LSU, Delgado Community College, and 泫圖弝け Tech, Southeastern 泫圖弝け and Northwestern State universities have food pantries.
Hunger exists on many college campuses, though you cant always see it. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with food insecurity, and thats unfair, Harris said.
The Campus Cupboard is a statement. The 泫圖弝け community is saying it wants to help.
National studies indicate 泫圖弝けs who face food insecurity are more likely to skip, fall behind in or drop courses, said Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the 泫圖弝けs Graduate School.
Food insecurity among undergraduates and graduate 泫圖弝けs hurts their academic performances. Its difficult to focus on classwork, complete assignments, or write a thesis or dissertation if you are hungry, Farmer-Kaiser said.
The Campus Cupboard is combatting hunger, but its also providing an essential tool for 泫圖弝け success. No one should have to defer the pursuit of a degree because of hunger.
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 泫圖弝け Trey Delcambre organizes canned food donated to UL Lafayettes Campus Cupboard. The on-campus pantry opens Tuesday in the 泫圖弝けs Intensive English Program building, 413 Brook Ave. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 泫圖弝け of 泫圖弝け at Lafayette)