After freshman year, many students look forward to no longer eating in residence halls. For some students, however, the loss of a required meal plan means a loss of the ability to purchase food for themselves, said Crimson Cupboard director of promotions Jessica Collins.
Crimson Cupboard, a student-run food pantry, opened its doors in spring 2016 with a goal to help provide food for students who might not be able to otherwise afford it.
“Student hunger is definitely something that’s overlooked,” Collins said. “We’re trying to cover the issue of students who don’t have enough food.”
The pantry offers most items found at a grocery store. While the pantry accepts food donations, most of its donations are monetary. With this money, volunteers purchase food from grocery stores in the area.
Shoppers generally come in twice a month and receive a different amount of food based on how many people they live with. A single student can receive 13 items and a student with a spouse can receive 17 items, according to the pantry’s website. The number gets higher based on the number of dependents in the household.
Students who wish to shop at the pantry only need their student ID but must fill out an application during their first visit.
Crimson Cupboard will be open Tuesday through Saturday, an increase in the number of hours from last semester. The hours will vary between morning and evening each day but are posted on their website, crimsoncupboard.indiana.edu.
“We’re trying to switch up the times we’re open to accommodate to more people’s schedules,” Collins said.
Students can volunteer for the pantry in four different areas: in the pantry, signing up new shoppers, stocking shelves, answering questions. They can also work in three areas outside of the pantry: fundraising, promotion or outreach.
Collins said a lot of IU students generally have the means to provide for themselves. However, there are a lot of people who don’t have the same support system.
“Hopefully, when people hear about it, they can use the resource to focus on school and academics instead of when they’re going to have their next meal,” Collins said.
