With tuition on the rise, students are finding it harder to manage money. Many have resorted to eating a less nutritionally based diet and cutting back meals to help with the cost of living.
At Southeastern, students should never have to worry about that. Every week, there is a food pantry open Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Mims Hall, room 226, with free groceries. This is available to any student in need of food.
“We allow students to take enough items to last a week and students are allowed to visit the pantry once every week. We offer a grocery store shopping feel to the pantry area to give our students the ability to make the food choices they want when they visit the pantry,” said Tasha Cooper, assistant director of Annual Giving.
Along with providing students a nutritional food source, the food pantry is now able to provide students with means of preparing food, thanks to the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond, who recently donated 70 brand new crock-pots to the food pantry.
“We service children from birth through college. This is our first time actually giving back to college kids, so we’re really excited to be able to supply that,” said Emily Maska, president of the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond.
The crock-pots will be given to students suffering from food insecurity. The food pantry will allot them. This will give students the ability to prepare meals for which they cannot use a microwave.
“What made me so interested is that I’m also a Scholarship Coordinator and a Financial Aid Counselor at Southeastern, so I saw the need,” said Arvina Colona, vice president of the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond. “Funds are very limited, and I see that all day, every day. That’s what makes this so dear to my heart.”
The Junior Auxiliary of Hammond has started searching for new ways to help out around campus.
For more information on the food pantry, stop by Mims Hall, room 226. The food pantry is open Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Students must bring their Southeastern I.D. for verification.