Food for All
Southeastern opens new student food pantry to help meet nutritional needs – just in time for the holiday season
Friday, November 22, 2013
Just in time for the holidays, Southeastern has opened an on-campus food pantry to help meet the nutritional needs of its students.
Results from a recent survey found that 60 percent of Southeastern students have dealt with food insecurity or know someone on campus who has dealt with the issue. Through funds from the "Phil the Pig" student philanthropy project, the Southeastern Foundation and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs created the food pantry to help students who do not have enough food to maintain a healthy diet.
Student workers stock the new campus food pantry.
Located in room 226 of Mims Hall, the food pantry's regular hours will be Tuesdays from 8 to 11 a.m. and Wednesdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Southeastern alumni and community volunteers will operate the food pantry.
Students who wish to take advantage of the food pantry should visit during regular hours and show their student IDs. Students can visit the food pantry once per week and are allowed to get 5 to 7 days worth of food at each visit.
"Phil the Pig" – also known as Southeastern's Green Pig Student Giving Program – is a student initiative to raise awareness on the importance of philanthropy. "Little Phil" piggy banks were distributed at the beginning of the fall semester to high-traffic student areas such as dorms and dining halls. The program encourages students to donate loose change in the "Little Phils" to be used for programs and projects that directly benefit the student body each semester. The food pantry is the first project to result from the "Phil the Pig" program, which began in August.
The food pantry's stock continues to grow as the campus and community contribute non-perishable grocery items during home football games and other events. The food pantry will accept donations of non-perishable goods – particularly rice, peanut butter, beans, oatmeal, grits, and shelf-stable microwaveable meals – from students and the community on an ongoing basis.
For more information about Southeastern's food pantry, contact Tasha Cooper at tcooper@southeastern.edu or 985-549-3771.
