Brendan Daigle, coordinator of the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs, poses in the food pantry in Mims Hall.  The Lion's Roar/ Tawanda Cummings

Since its opening last November, the food pantry has received a surplus of donations and continues to support students in need. 

“Seventy-nine individual students have used the pantry, most of them being repeat or frequent visitors,” according to Brendan Daigle, coordinator for the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs. “Those 79 students have used the pantry a total of 315 times.”

Also running the pantry is Tasha Cooper, the assistant director of the Southeastern Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the university and one of the organizers of the pantry.

“A survey of our students indicated that more than half either knew someone who faced food insecurity or themselves were concerned about getting enough to eat,” said Cooper in a previous article that appeared in The Lion’s Roar.

Everyone has been doing their part to aid students in need, according to Daigle.

“Donations come from various sources. We have received them from faculty, staff, university departments and students, both individual and student organizations, as well as local churches and members of the community,” she said.

The donations keep the pantry full for the most part, except for select items that go quickly or are not received in abundance such as canned fruit, canned meats, rice, peanut butter, powdered milk and pasta. The food pantry also accepts non-food items, such as hygiene products and school supplies.

There are a few items that are not needed at the moment, because they are already received in surplus including  corn, green beans and sweet peas. 

“We have received so many of them that we may have to donate some to local food banks to make sure they get used before they expire,” said Daigle. 

Students who wish to shop at the pantry may go to the office during operating times and fill out an intake form, sign a waiver and complete a brief survey. Students are limited to shopping once a week and are allowed to get up to a weeks’ worth of groceries at a time. Privacy is a priority, so only one student may shop at a time.

Anyone interested in donating can bring their donations to Daigle’s office in Mims 215. The food pantry is located in Mims Hall room 226, and summer operating hours are Thursday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m.