College is already expensive enough to attend. But, add in living expenses, textbooks, and other surprise payments, and students may find themselves in a financially challenging starting position for the rest of the semester. Luckily, thanks to the Georgia Southern campus’s food pantry program, these scholars will have a resource to cover some of their food and essential needs.
The food pantries on both the Statesboro and Savannah campuses are donation-based, with the primary mission of helping to give Georgia Southern students dealing with food insecurity the ability to not go a day without food. And they don't just provide food, either; school supplies, tampons, deodorant, and all sorts of basic supplies can be freely acquired at the pantry during its opening hours, no questions asked. As one student volunteer described it, the food pantry is a "judgment free zone."
Current work extends beyond just providing food
“We’re working with a graduate nutrition class right now,” Food Pantry Coordinator Casey Weaver said. “On November 30th, we’re going to be putting on a program in their nutrition lab that uses products from our food pantry that students may not necessarily be using. And that program is going to be about educating students on the nutritional value of the things that they may not be using, (while) also showing them how they can make a couple of food items with these items.”
An example Weaver provided was the use of beans in the food pantry, which are high in protein. Despite being a great nutritional item, most pantry users tend to ignore this resource. The nutrition class program will act as a tutorial to help show the full potential of food items like beans by showing attendants recipes while giving out food samples. These classes will begin on November 30th.
Another thing on the current agenda of the food pantry team is creating a proper inventory system.
“Before, it was kind of just off the ground,” Weaver said. “But now what we’re trying to do is we’re actually trying to find a way to track the items that are going out versus coming in. So we were seeing ‘okay, these are the items coming in, and that’s great.' But we weren’t tracking what was going out of the food pantry as well.”
While it is pretty easy to tell when items are sold out, items donated in abundance are more challenging to track. This inventory system will help track how much of that item is genuinely being used.
“Like corn. I don’t feel like we’re getting rid of any corn,” Weaver said. “But that’s because I have 300 cans of corn. And then every time we get donations, we get corn, so I don’t know that students are actually taking the corn out.”
In conjunction with helping students, Weaver is also orchestrating plans for a homeless awareness program this month for Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.
“Homelessness Awareness Week is November 12th through November 20th,” Weaver said. “This year, we’re starting a little small because this is the first year we’re doing it. The reason I bring it up is because homelessness does play a part into food insecurity and the food pantries, and so we’re looking to branch out a little bit more.”
The event will feature a guest speaker, and the outreach doesn’t stop there. There are also plans to do food drives in the same week while promoting the new additions to the food pantry and extending an olive branch to the homeless who need food.
The reach is growing
This year, the Food Pantry has been working extra hard to spread awareness about food insecurity as well as the food pantry’s existence itself. So far, the number of students using the pantry has increased from 70 to 120 since the spring of 2022.
“I think our economy has played a little bit of a part of this as well,” Weaver said. “I think some of our students who may not have been facing food insecurity are now facing it because of how much it costs to just be a student and get through life.”
Testimonials from Students
While these students asked to remain anonymous, they all are nonetheless grateful for the food pantry’s existence.
"The pantry really has helped me in times of need. When I can't afford to eat, it is comforting to know that there are resources available to me, thanks to the members of the community."
"My boyfriend and I go to the food pantry once every two weeks together. We look up recipes online that use what we know is in stock, and it's turned into a bonding experience that we both cherish. The food pantry helps us stay healthy by providing lots of good canned vegetables, and provides my boyfriend with granola bars along with other small, portable snacks to have while he's at work. My cabinets would be so much more empty without the food pantry."
"Throughout the two months I used the pantry, I not only volunteered there through Serve912 but I regularly picked up food, personal hygiene products, and more. I am eternally grateful for the assistance I received in my time of need."
"I am able to stay more focused in my classes because I'm not focusing on the pain in my stomach and headaches anymore."
"I ran out of food a few weeks ago, and the GSU food pantry has been my main source of food since then. I have been looking for a job to help buy food since my family is unable to help me."
"The food pantry has impacted my life tremendously. I am able to eat a decent meal within my tight grocery budget."
"I'm an international student and the availability of funds, especially as it relates to converting our local currency into USD, has been sparse. I've kept my food situation from my mother because I don't want her to worry. But at the end of the day I cannot deny I simply could not afford to eat the way I have my whole life, and the transition to lower caloric intake drastically affected my life."
"What a Godsend program! I almost didn't make it through this last semester, but this program provided things for myself and my four young children. These donations helped me immensely in times of desperate need. I am so grateful and one day soon will pay it forward."
How you can help
The Dean of Students Office has two resources based on campus location which are designed to help support students experiencing food insecurity.
The Captain’s Cupboard on the Armstrong and Liberty Center locations is a resource that helps students, faculty, and staff who are in need of supplementary food items, hygiene products, and menstrual products. This initiative was started through a donation made to the Armstrong location and can only serve students, faculty, and staff on the Armstrong and Liberty campuses.
An Eagle Essentials Food Pantry on the Statesboro campus locations is a resource that helps students, faculty, and staff who are in need of supplementary food items, hygiene products, and menstrual products. This initiative has been established by the Dean of Students Office. Students, faculty, and staff who are affiliated with any of the Georgia Southern campuses can request to access resources at the Statesboro location.
Students wishing to apply for the food pantries' services can learn more here.
The pantry is donation based, meaning that all supplies the pantry come from community donations. Contributions are open to more than just the students of Georgia Southern, but the citizens of Bulloch County as well. If you want to help fight food insecurity for students of Georgia Southern, you can reach out to the food pantry by contacting Casey Weaver at [email protected].
For those who aren’t sure what exactly to donate, a wishlist of items the food pantry is currently taking can be found here.
The Statesboro Food Pantry’s current temporary location is at the Georgia Southern Forest Drive Building Room 1232.
