Feeding Students First — The UM Food Pantry
The University of Montana Food Pantry opened to students on February 1st, 2019 with the help of the ASUM Renter Center, the University Center, Missoula Food Bank, Montana Food Bank Network and other kick-ass campus and community partners! Before the pantry’s main location opened its doors we were able to provide students with canned and dry food for two months at our satellite “Grizzly Cupboard” locations at the Vets Office, TRIO, AISS student lounge, and Missoula College room 430. Since we opened just four months ago we have sent home over 1,500 pounds of food to over 65 students.
The UM Food Pantry is proud to work with the ASUM Renter Center to support the needs of our students. According to the #RealCollege survey, 42% of students who responded to our survey experienced food insecurity in the previous 30 days. This matches national trends reported in the #RealCollege survey this year. UM is trending higher in both housing insecurity (55% of respondents experienced in the last year) and homelessness (28% of respondents experience in the last year) than the national average. Often, students who experience one form of basic needs insecurity are at a far higher risk of experiencing other forms, which is why it is so important that the pantry teams up with the Renter Center and other important resources on campus!
In the first four months we’ve been open, I’ve gotten the same two questions over and over again:
1. What if some of the people coming to the pantry don’t actually need it?
2. Why do students need the food pantry?
These are both good questions! And I’m always happy to answer them. The first question has two answers: the short one is, that I don’t care, because even millionaires need to eat and I’m just here to provide food. The longer answer is this: at UM, just 14% of food insecure students at UM use SNAP benefits, and only 4% of homeless students utilize housing benefits. (RealCollege School Report, 2019) If students experiencing food insecurity aren’t utilizing these resources already, placing more barriers between students and food (like income requirements) will only prevent the students who need the food the most from getting it.
The second question is easier to answer. There a ton of reasons why students might need to visit the food pantry:
· Whether your class schedule is too intense to be able to work enough to support yourself
· Or you have enough money to pay all of your expenses but you’re left with no wiggle room at the end of the month
· If usually you’re doing fine but your car breaks down or you cat gets sick or you break your leg
· Or if all you can afford to eat right now is rice and beans the food pantry is for you!
We’ve had students just drop in once, and we’ve had students come back twice a month every month since we’ve opened — both of these are great! I consider giving food to students, regardless of why they need it, one of the most important parts of my job.
As the student coordinator, I have been able to present all over campus and Missoula about the needs of today’s college students. Most recently, I traveled to Great Falls to speak at the Montana Hunger Relief Forum about current efforts to address basic needs insecurity among college students. These presentations are important to the work we are doing because they help us spread the word that this problem exists and help us bust myths about college students. The myth that comes up the most often is that it’s normal for use to live off of ramen noodles through college. It’s shocking to me how normal it has become to expect to not be able to afford groceries. At no other point in our lives would it seem appropriate to live like this, but for some reason that is the role that has been assigned to college students!
The important thing to know is that help is available! The UM Food Pantry and Missoula Food Bank can provide students with food twice a month, for the rest of the month there is SNAP! The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is an amazing resource that is under-utilized by college students. In 2016, according to the Government Accountability Office, over 2 million students qualified for SNAP but less than half actually applied. There are a number of reasons why this is the case, many students think they can’t receive SNAP benefits because they’re students, others may not know how or where to apply (visit apply.mt.gov or swing by the pantry whenever we’re open for extra help).
Our work at the pantry doesn’t end at sending food home with students, we know that this is really just a short-term solution. We have to make sure that we are doing the work to help end the problem, this means advocating for the needs of students both on campus and at the state legislature, and continuing to bust myths and end negative stereotypes about college students.
This work is so important to me for many reasons, but the reason closest to my heart is when I was growing up, my mom always taught me that food is love. We all need to eat, but more importantly, we all need to feel whole and human. This job allows me to help other students at UM who may be struggling to feel whole and human again, even if it’s just for one meal. I got my BA at UM, in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies with a Sociology minor, so I know how caring and community minded this campus can be. My background in activism and feminist theory informs the work that I do every single day. Now that I’m halfway through my Master’s in Public Administration I am so proud to be able to contribute to our community in such an important way.
So, how can you get involved? There are plenty of ways to volunteer with the pantry, you can help me sort cans of food, or help with outreach, or help organize a fundraiser or food drive! You can also drop off donations anytime at the West Atrium Desk in the UC or donate online at umt.edu/foodpantry.
