The Campus Cupboard is asking for food donations from student organizations and academic departments for their second annual Thanks for Giving Food Drive. Each day, donors add an item off the list to their box and then deliver the box to Campus Cupboard Dec. 2 to Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Margarita Perez, the dean of Students at the University, described how the donation received during this drive can help the Campus Cupboard over the holidays through January and early February. “It really helps us get through the holidays and get through January, when we come back. In March, we’ll have another big push with Greek Week.”
Perez explained how the month of November is a good time for reflection and giving back. “November is a great time to be reflective of what you have, if you are somebody that has an abundance, then…it’s not a huge ask. It is just a couple of items. You can easily put together a box and it goes a long way in helping our students,” Perez said.
Perez described the community effort that it takes for the Campus Cupboard to be successful throughout the school year. Through donations from faculty and staff, students and partnerships with outside food organizations, the Campus Cupboard is able to receive a lot of support.
“We have a lot of faculty and staff that donate, our student organizations donate as part of homecoming or their service weeks. In the spring, Greek Week brings a lot of donations.[…] Alumni donates. We also have a partnership with Second Harvest. It’s really a community effort to provide this service for our students.”
Perez noted that in October, the Campus Cupboard had 553 individual visits and served 306 households. “We know it’s making a difference, so when you know something is making a difference, it pushes you to keep doing it. To find more ways to support them,” Perez said.
Patricia Cottonham, the vice president for Student Affairs, cited food insecurity as the main motivation for creating the Campus Cupboard. “Studies tell us that 30% of college students struggle with not having enough food to eat to not having nutritious food to eat.”
“We saw our students struggling to meet the basic need to eat nutritious meals, and the Food Pantry idea was born from the University answering the call to serve our students, faculty and staff,” Cottonham said.
Food insecurity has long been linked to negative academic performance in higher education. Lack of food can cause academic strain and make students unable to concentrate. It increases fatigue and lowers stamina.
Food insecurity is also associated with poor physical health and mental health. It can decrease the amount of sleep students get, increase body mass and contribute to less exercise. It is also associated with higher anxiety and depression.
Perez spoke about the collaboration it takes to keep the food pantry going.“I think that all of us who support the campus cupboard and the career closet are thankful and grateful for all the support we get from our students, faculty and staff and the community.”
Perez continued to say thank you for all the community support, saying, “It takes everybody doing a little bit, and I think that is what we see on our campus. People that really care. […] We care about what happens when you leave here. We are thankful for the support we have received and for what we know we will continue to receive from our community.”
It is an on-campus food pantry that is open to all students at the University. It is open on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Campus Cupboard officially opened in April 2019. It was first housed in The Office of International Affairs and is currently located at 210 East St Mary St. The pantry shares a space with the Career Closet.
Regular donations to the cupboard can be dropped off at the Student Government Association office in the Student Union.
People who want to donate monetarily can make a gift online at givecampus. com. For more information about the Campus Cupboard and the Thanks for Giving food drive, go to studentaffairs. louisiana.edu.