Samantha Soria / Contributing Writer
The global pandemic saw an increase in food insecurity. Students turned to FIU’s Student Food Pantry to know where their next meal would come from.
With the pandemic causing supply chain disruptions and an increased demand for food, as food prices rose, so did the severity of food insecurity. According to the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, world food prices rose close to 20 percent in the last year.
The pantry is where many students experiencing food shortages can take a supply of canned items. It has two locations, one at Graham Center 319 and Wolfe University Center 256.
Its impact is widespread, as 35,593 pounds of food overall were given out to 5,535 students who visited the pantry from July 1, 2019, to June 30th, 2020, according to Joanna Garcia, associate director of the Student Food Pantry.
The pantry is managed by FIU’s Center for Leadership and Service. One of the services available to students is the Fostering Panther Pride (FPP) program.
The program provides academic and financial support services to students who were former foster youth or have experienced homelessness. FPP runs the pantry located at SASC 205.
The pantry assists students who experience food insecurity, which is a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active healthy life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Food insecurity was at its lowest in over 20 years before the pandemic struck the nation in March 2020, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit organization which aims to end the food scarcity gap.
Food insecurity rates then jumped from 35 million to 42 million as a result of the pandemic’s effects on loss of income and food shortages at pantries.
When FIU’s pantry first opened its doors in October 2014, its goal was to supply students with food, toiletry items and Emergency Aid resources.
Selena Swindoll, a junior studying interdisciplinary studies, is currently the president of the FPP student committee. She said the program helps disadvantaged students by offering various scholarships and success coaching.
“The student committee is in charge of hosting events so that these students have people around them that are able to support them,” said Swindoll. “It’s supposed to have a really big family feel to the students.”
Swindoll continues to use the pantry and feels that she increases the pantry’s use by students overall as a result.
“[When] we added the student committee, I’ve seen a lot more students come by than before,” said Swindoll. “Now that I’ve been there, I feel like maybe it’s because I’m a student as well, [others] feel a lot more comfortable coming and receiving the help they need.”
Garcia has been with the pantry since she led the project with the support of the Division of Student Affairs in October 2014.
The typical number of students who visited the pantry was much less when FIU moved to remote instruction in March 2020, Garcia pointed out.
Carmen Sandino, a senior studying psychology and interdisciplinary studies, used the pantry during the pandemic and said it served a tremendous help.
“It’s definitely given me more peace of mind to know that [supplying food] is one less thing I have to worry about,” said Sandino.
The pantry has a partnership with Feeding South Florida that allows them to receive food to ensure that the pantry is always stocked for students, mentioned Garcia.
The pantry is now seeing more students return as FIU transitions to pre-COVID operations.
This past spring semester, the pantry served an average of 100 students per week.
“[Last] spring semester, even though not everybody was back…we had a pretty big influx [of students.] I feel like our numbers were higher than what they were compared to last spring,” said Garcia.
Students returned to pick up nonperishable food items and toiletries provided by the FPP student food pantry.
All currently enrolled students can use their FIU One Card to receive up to 10 pounds of food per week on each visit.
Photo of food items on the shelves at the Student Food Pantry. Photo courtesy of Joanna Garcia.
Garcia said that it is important for students to feel comfortable using the pantry.
“We want it to be [as] open as possible so that students feel that they can come in and use it as they need it without having extra pressure or feeling like they have to divulge their stories to another student who works with the pantry or staff member,” said Garcia.
The pantry continued to serve students throughout the pandemic, even when they closed their doors in spring 2020. During this time, students were given pre-made bags of food as supplies lasted and an FIU News statement provided information on other local food pantries.
“When COVID hit, and we were all sent home, like remote learning in March of last year, it became really difficult,” said Sandino.
At the start of the pandemic, Sandino says that it was very hard for her and her partner, who lost their job and was the only one able to work.
“I was so stressed about everything. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can’t catch COVID because I live with someone who’s immunocompromised’ and school is remote. I was worried about so many things,” said Sandino.
Sandino said that the pantry relieved that stress and she is grateful for its help.
“I can’t imagine if I wouldn’t have taken that simple step of just checking out the pantry and seeing what it had,” said Sandino. “I don’t have to worry about money or anything like that [because I know] it will always be there.”
To learn more about how to access this service and how you can donate, you can visit the Student Food Pantry website.
About Post Author
