SCSU students thankful for continued donations to Huskies Food Pantry

Items lined up on shelves at the Huskies Food Pantry at St. Cloud State University. 

Since the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester, the Huskies Food Pantry has been a valuable resource for St. Cloud State University students during a difficult time for many in Central Minnesota and across the United States.

The food pantry at St. Cloud State, which provides food options and other necessities purchased from Second Harvest Heartland to students experiencing food insecurity in an effort to support learning, health and student retention, has been especially important during the coronavirus pandemic and the impact COVID-19 has had on students surrounding employment, schooling and everyday living.

“It’s nice to have something close on campus because a lot of students, like me, don’t have a car. It’s a lot easier to come to campus and use the pantry and get those supplies,” said Nibras Ahmed, an international student studying mass communications who is planning on graduating in Fall 2020.

“It’s very easy to access on campus, and especially now with it going online, it’s a lot easier to use it. You can order everything online and they pack it up for you, so the only thing you have to do is come pick your food up. It’s very convenient.”

With the need for assistance on-going, students have continued to use the food pantry thanks to overwhelming support from St. Cloud State faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community members at large.

In mid-June, the food pantry had recorded more than 700 gifts for a total amount of more than $71,000 since opening. Along with the food pantry, St. Cloud State’s student emergency fund has received over 450 gifts for nearly $68,000. Those numbers continue to grow to this day.

“I am very thankful to the community and to everyone who has donated. It’s nice to see so many people trying to help during COVID-19,” Ahmed said. “I’m really thankful to the community and I know all the students are as well.”

Items set out at the Huskies Food Pantry at St. Cloud State University.

Assisting students in a financial bind and more

When COVID-19 resulted in campus closing and classes being presented in an online format this spring, many students at St. Cloud State felt like they were on their own with a majority of students also dealing with unexpected unemployment.

With the financial hardship and trying to figure out how to pay for rent and other necessities, one thing that helped multiple students was the fact they could turn to the food pantry to somewhat ease that burden by not having to also pay for groceries on top of those other expenses.

“Me, like a lot of my friends, we lost our jobs when everything shut down, so we were on reduced hours. Mainly for my rent and my food, I work to be able to pay for that. For more than a month, there were no hours of work for me, so it came down to how am I going to pay for food and rent,” Ahmed said. “It was nice that I was able to get some food for free at that time and didn’t have to worry about where to get food and where to buy food.

“Being able to get some things from the pantry saves a lot of money. It’s been nice for me and other students who are still living here and can’t go back home yet. It’s nice to have the pantry and it’s one of those things where you look at things and say ‘OK, things are not that bad.’”

While some students have dealt with a financial bind during the pandemic resulting in the utilization of the food pantry, other students have used it for a way to supplement their diets in a healthy manner to assist with their mental well-being while suddenly being off campus.

“With the shutdown of campus and everything else, it has been a good reason to get out the house and go over to campus. A benefit of going to the food pantry is it has made me more mindful of how important that is, not just for my physical well-being, but for my mental well-being,” said John Finsrud, a transfer student studying addiction counseling with the anticipation of graduating in Spring 2021. “These past months have been very stressful for me. A big part of my routine has been going to campus and it’s been hard adjusting to not being able to do that and going to class to interact with classmates and instructors.

“I have a great appreciation for that service, having worked at a food bank in Texas for almost two years. It’s very community oriented.”

A continued resource for students to utilize

Thanks to continued donations and a steady need for the service to assist St. Cloud State students, the food pantry remains an available resource for individuals to this day.

Prior to June, the food pantry was open multiple days a week in a few different locations on campus, allowing students to visit the pantry in-person and browse through the various offerings.

In June and throughout the summer, the food pantry converted to a contactless, online format while remaining open one day a week. That service has continued to provide students the ability to pre-order items from their home to pick up.

“I keep trying to spread the word of where the pantry is and how it helps students if they need it,” Finsrud said. “I am extraordinarily grateful and I’m glad to hear that they are able to continue to operate the pantry and help students.”

While donations are still being accepted — whether that’s through non-perishable food or personal care item donations or monetary donations — the Huskies Food Pantry continues to operate and remain open to help assist students in need, both now and in the future.

“We are all thankful to the university for organizing it and for all the people who have donated,” Ahmed said. “When this all started, we weren’t sure how this was going to go or how long it was going to last, but it’s amazing that they are still up and running and still helping students in need.”