UNA’s Food Pantry Lends Helping Hand to Students During Holidays and Year Round
Nov. 18, 2014
Bryan Rachal, Public Affairs and Media Relations
FLORENCE, Ala. – The holidays are upon us and while the stores may have skipped Thanksgiving and gone directly to Christmas, Thanksgiving does still exist. So next week many people across the country will pull up to a table packed with food and they’ll continue eating until…well, really until New Year’s day!
While we often think of gifts during the holidays, food really is the glue that holds the traditions together. And yet, every holiday season and every day, for that matter, people across this country go hungry, and it’s not just the homeless. In fact, many college students need help when it comes to obtaining the food they need. Students like this exist on campuses across America, including right here at the University of North Alabama. However, UNA has one thing that not all other colleges or universities have – a food pantry to help those in need.
The “Feeding the Pride Pantry” was established in 2012 by then UNA student Julia Henderson to help eliminate hunger on campus by providing food for those who need it. Fast forward to 2014 and the pantry at UNA is still running strong, and while that’s a good thing, it’s unfortunate that the “Feeding the Pride Pantry” is still needed.
Kayla Slusher, a business management sophomore at UNA, is the current student advisor over the pantry. She said that in the past the pantry had kind of been low key, but she’s tried to step-up its exposure.
“When I first started this semester, like maybe two or three people a week would come. So I knew something had to change because I know there are more people who need food. I’ve noticed as I tell people about it they ask if it’s bad that they get food, and I’m like no, it’s for you. Some think it’s weird because it’s a pantry, and I’m like I even get food there.”
Slusher said that because of the lack of knowledge, she’s tried to increase the number of events they have for the pantry, such as food drives and fashion shows, etc., to once a month, using different ways to get donations and exposure. She said her efforts have helped and they’ve seen a small increase in the number of students in the pantry. “We really need more people to come in and use the service,” Slusher said.
She said it’s okay for people to need food; some people have bad weeks and there are quite a few single parents on campus, as well, who occasionally need a helping hand.
“There are different people who use the pantry: males and females, athletes, freshmen, seniors,” Slusher said. “There are so many different types because everyone needs food at some point; maybe they’ve had a bad week or maybe they really can’t afford it. Not all of them need it all the time, but there are people who might have to take off work for finals, so that week you won’t have a good paycheck because you didn’t work that many hours.”
Slusher said the holidays are a time when students need help with food the most. Many may be stretched thin on finances or too busy studying to work. She said for many their main focus is school, and the juggling act can get quite hard.
Slusher said the “Feeding the Pride Pantry” accepts all non-perishable food items; however, they’ve recently been able to offer fresh produce from a garden on campus. Of course, that only works if people come in and take advantage of the fresh produce.
“The more people we get in, the more we can get out of there so we can have drinks and bread and stuff too. So it started out as non-perishable, but as the days go by we can get drinks and bread and stuff like that,” she said.
Slusher said she wants people to bring what they can, although they do have quite a bit of canned goods. She said they could really use some Ramen Noodles, cereal and other dry goods.
For now, Slusher will remain as the student advisor for the pantry until the end of the spring semester. She said other students can volunteer at the pantry, doing a variety of jobs. Slusher said some can work during open hours and show people around and help them fill out an application, others can help with events and some can work with social media.
“Feeding the Pride Pantry” is currently open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The pantry usually closes with the university; however, Slusher said that because Thanksgiving is coming up, they’re going to try and extend their hours so they can be open all day for a few days.
For more information on the “Feeding the Pride Pantry:” Http://una.orgsync.com/org/leadershipvolunteerism/FoodPantry