According to the New York Times, twenty percent of students at four year colleges are food insecure. This means that students are going hungry while studying, which can affect their progress toward their undergraduate degree. Food insecurity is defined by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness as the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food.

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In recent years, food insecurity among college students at four year institutions has come to the attention of schools and government officials. As recent as two weeks go, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York launched the “No Student Goes Hungry” program. He announced that 100 percent of public state and city colleges will have a food pantry or stigma free food access by the end of the Fall 2018 semester. During his announcement, Governor Cuomo said, “New York is proud to be the first state in the nation to require every public campus to have a food pantry, ensuring that our students have all they need on the path to success.”

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However, hunger on college campuses is not a new problem, this movement has been pushing forward for many years already. The first food bank run by university students was created at Michigan State University in 1993. The MSU Student Food Bank became a pioneer for other universities. Since then, many other college campuses have adapted this program to work toward ending food insecurity.

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This past March Penn State Behrend followed suit by creating the Lion’s Pantry.  The Lion’s Pantry is a confidential program designed to help alleviate the need of nutritious food and personal hygiene products on campus. After the pantries opening following the 2018 spring break, students were able to request food like pasta, rice, and breakfast items, along with hygiene products.

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These items along with others are offered online at the Lion’s Pantry website with step by step instructions on how to pick up the packages. The form is anonymous and only asks for an email address so that a confirmation number can be sent.

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Responsibly for the success of the Lion’s Pantry is Robert Felger, the food security liaison for AmeriCorps VISTA. Felger became involved with VISTA after volunteering in Florida for Habitat for Humanity. While he was there, he created community gardens, rebuilt homes, and witnessed food insecurity first hand. After his trip he joined VISTA, or Volunteers In Service To America, which was designed to empower individuals and communities in overcoming poverty. His desire to help and improve communities sparked his interest in becoming the VISTA liaison for Behrend.

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Approximately 57 students currently utilize the Lion’s Pantry, and he hopes to see that number increase. With the spread of awareness and more student involvement, Robert hopes the Lion’s Pantry will flourish and help more students gain access to nutritious food.

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If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, stop by his office in Smith Chapel or send an email to bdlionspantry@psu.edu.