CAMPUS AROUND THE QUAD
The Statesman’s Shelf Food Pantry Opens
Delta State President LaForge (center right); Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs, vice president for student affairs (in white suit on right); Department of Social Work Chair Dr. Jana Donahoe (in green on left); and other staff, officials, and students cut the ribbon to open The Statesman’s Shelf in January.
The number of colleges and universities nationwide that confront student food insecurity continues to rise. More than 640 campuses across the nation operate food pantries to help nourish students who lack a sufficient quantity of nutritious food, according to the College and University Food Bank Alliance—from Columbia University to Indiana University to University of New Mexico to University of California, Berkeley. Delta State University joined that growing mindful list in January by opening The Statesman’s Shelf food pantry for current students in the Student Union behind the State Room. The site provides non-perishable food and beverages, along with disposable dinnerware, to any DSU student who wants to partake. Students do not have to qualify for need to participate. The sole requirement is a valid student ID. Transactions are confidential. Students shop for what they want by checking off boxes on a form and receive a bag of groceries determined by pounds, not items. The food pantry remains open during the coronavirus pandemic. “Students shouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs, vice president for Student Affairs, which oversees The Statesman’s Shelf. “We want our students to take advantage of this resource. There is no shame in it.” All sorts of statistics support this. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, in “Food Insecurity: Better Information Could Help Eligible College Students Access Federal Food Assistance Benefits,” a December 2018 report to congressional requesters, reviewed 31 studies that provided some information about food insecurity for college students. Estimates of food insecurity ranged from 9 percent to more than 50 percent. Twenty-two of the studies recorded rates of more than 30 percent. 4 • Delta State Magazine • Winter/Spring 2020
Also, the College and University Food Bank Alliance, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the Student Government Resource Center, and the Student Public Interest Research Group sponsored “Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students,” an October 2016 report. Of 3,765 students surveyed in 12 states, spanning eight community colleges and 26 four-year colleges and universities, 48 percent of respondents indicated food insecurity within the past 30 days. Twenty percent of respondents at four-year schools cited very low levels of food security (to be interpreted as hungry). There are numerous reasons why Delta State students might experience food insecurity, Bennett-Fairs explained. Most apparent: limited funds. “Oftentimes, students choose to live off campus because they believe it saves them money, but it doesn’t,” she said. “The first place they cut their budget when it’s necessary is usually the grocery list.” Delta State is collaborating with the Hattiesburg, Miss.-based Extra Table, a non-profit organization committed to ending food insecurity in Mississippi, on The Statesman’s Shelf. Extra Table’s executive director, Martha Allen, and her team raised $9,500 for Delta State to purchase bulk food. “Delta State greatly appreciates the generosity and advice from Extra Table,” said Bennett-Fairs. “Martha Allen is a wonderful partner.” Delta State colleagues also chipped in. The Mu Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the African American Student Council, and the Department of Social Work through Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Jana Donahoe amassed hundreds of food items for the opening—jars of peanut butter, cups of pudding, boxes of pasta, pouches of juice, bags of rice, cans of vegetables, soup, and tuna fish. Just about anything and everything except fresh things because there’s no equipment to store them and prevent spoilage. Facilities Management painted and carpeted the room from funds that Bennett-Fairs had allocated from her Student Affairs budget. “We welcome all DSU students who need food for whatever reason,” Bennett-Fairs said. “We also welcome community support. The donations we’re gathering for the opening won’t last forever.”
