Southeast Missouri State University to open food pantry

Southeast Missouri State University will open a food pantry in March to help students who struggle to get enough to eat.

The Redhawk Food Pantry will be housed in the textbook-rental area in the basement of the school's Kent Library.

It will provide nonperishable food items as well as necessities such as shampoo, soap and school supplies, university officials said.

It will cater to Southeast students but also will be available to any Southeast employee who faces an immediate need, said Bruce Skinner, assistant vice president for student success.

An on-campus food drive is scheduled for Feb. 13 to March 3 to begin stocking the food pantry.

Faculty, staff and student organizations, as well as community agencies, have been invited to join in the effort, school officials said.

Bins will be set up at various locations on campus, including textbook rental, the University Center, the Student Recreation Center and residence halls.

Officials said items needed most include canned goods, dry goods such as cereal and rice, cooking supplies such as flour and spices, snacks such as granola bars and popcorn and items such as peanut butter, ketchup and mustard. Other needed items include can openers, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and feminine products.

Skinner said Thursday university officials began hearing last year of students who had experienced hunger. Some students made comments they had to skip meals because of a lack of finances, he said.

Debbie Below, vice president for enrollment management and student success, said the university began investigating the matter.

"We learned that 20 percent of college students nationwide suffered from food insecurity," Below said in a news release. "We also learned that for those students, hunger was a major impediment to student achievement."

Southeast Student Government Association surveyed students on the issue last semester. The survey found 15 percent of students reported experiencing an "inadequate food supply" at least four times during a semester, school officials said in a news release.

"We had to act," Below said.

Student Bhanu Sehgal, a senior and chairman of Student Government's university-affairs committee, said he remembers going hungry when he was a freshman because of poor money management.

"I did not have anything to eat for a couple of days," he recalled.

Sehgal said students should not have to starve, regardless of the reason.

"We are humans, and we make mistakes," he said. "We just need a little bit of support."

School officials said a growing number of the nation's colleges have opened food pantries for students.

Southeast students, faculty and staff have embraced the idea, Skinner said.

Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, which has focused on hunger issues, has been involved in the pantry project, officials said.

Redhawk Food Pantry will begin operating March 20 but is not expected to be fully operational until the fall semester, Skinner said.

Initially, the pantry will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. But Skinner said the hours could change if warranted.

The pantry is designed to meet emergency needs, he said. An individual will be able to obtain items from the pantry a maximum of twice a month, he added.

Southeast has agreed to provide a grant of up to $15,000 over three years to cover the project's startup costs and limited operational expenses. School officials said the pantry will operate at no cost to students.

The pantry will be staffed by a part-time student manager and student volunteers. It will rely on donations from faculty, staff, students and community agencies, school officials said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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