SUNY Oneonta to open food pantry for students, staff

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read
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Sep. 12—SUNY Oneonta will unveil its new Red Dragon Food Pantry during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15, inside the space, on the bottom floor of the Hunt Union. State officials, representatives of nonprofit organizations and local partners are expected to participate in the event.

According to a media release from the university, the pantry will give SUNY Oneonta students free access to nonperishable food, basic needs supplies and fresh produce from local farms and organizations. It will also be open to faculty and staff.

Pantry shelves will be replenished on a regular basis with food from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, and a partnership with Unadilla Community Farm — a nonprofit organization that grows crops solely for food pantry donations — will allow for fresh produce deliveries each week, the release said. Oneonta business Vêsucré, which makes plant-based frozen foods, will provide homemade protein breakfast cups for the pantry, as well.

A grant in collaboration with the SUNY Student Assembly from Share Our Strength, a national organization working to end childhood hunger and poverty in the United States, is helping to fund the grand opening, the release said.

The creation of SUNY Oneonta's pantry is part of a statewide investment and effort to address food insecurity among college students. In recognition of September as National Hunger Action Month, SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. recently announced $1 million in funding to provide sustainable financial assistance for SUNY campus food pantries, the release said.

The release cites findings from the National Center for Education Statistics, which reveal that 22% of undergraduate students experienced food insecurity — more than double the rate of U.S. households.

At SUNY Oneonta, a spring 2023 American College Health Association survey conducted by the Health and Wellness Center showed that 55.8% of students reported low or very low food security. About 11% of Student Emergency Fund grants were awarded because of food insecurity, according to the release.