Student food pantry opens on campus
VCU students and volunteers celebrated the opening of its first food pantry for students on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Sarah King
Staff Writer
VCU students and volunteers celebrated the opening of its first food pantry for students on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The student-run pantry, known as Ram Pantry, aims to ensure no student in the VCU community goes hungry.
“This will be our first semester opening. It’s been in the works since last summer, and it’s finally coming together,” said Ram Pantry volunteer coordinator Liz Swilley, who is a senior philosophy major at VCU.
The pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Wednesday and is located on the third floor of The Center at 819 S. Cathedral Place, a block from the Commons. Any student with a valid VCU student ID can access the pantry.
“Long term, I’d really like to see VCU incorporate (the pantry) into its infrastructure so it’s a permanent institution to address student hunger and security. Right now we’re just trying to get students in here and see what they need,” Swilley said.
The pantry is sponsored by Food Lion, and all food donations come from the local grocery store.
Holly Whitt, a senior in the graduate teaching program at VCU and the volunteer liaison for the pantry, said students who visit the pantry are given between 20 to 25 items, which are designed to last them approximately a week. Students are ensured confidentiality and can take home the food in a nondescript brown paper bag.
“Our faculty sponsor reached out to several grocery stores in the area and Food Lion had an awesome response,” Swilley said. “Their goal for 2014 is to help out local communities and this is a great way for them to do this. They agreed to become our long-term sponsor for the year.”
The pantry holds between $10,000 to $12,000 worth of food from Food Lion in storage and the grocery store has agreed to replenish the supply as demand increases, Swilley said. Halal, kosher and vegetarian options are also available upon request.
“I’m really excited to volunteer for this organization,” said Jada Carpenter, a creative advertising major who plans on attending a Ram Pantry volunteer training. “This is just another example of all the great organizations VCU has to offer because of caring students.”
