The CUpboard has taken on a new look this school year compared to past ones. The University’s food pantry now has its own room across from the dining hall that’s fully stocked with essential goods for students, faculty, and staff.
The CUpboard started small in the fall of 2019 with faculty members designating a corner in areas of the school, such as the second-floor library, and stocking canned goods and groceries for students to take if in need. These locations would be restocked by donations from faculty and staff every two weeks. However, staff found that groceries were in such high demand that they would be gone within days, leaving users still in need of food and resources. Despite a sign out sheet being posted on these stations, users would not check off goods that were being used and as a result it became difficult to keep track of goods that were needed most in addition to how many users there were.
Funding for the CUpboard initially came from faculty and staff volunteers in addition to a $250 donation from a separate nonprofit organization. After seeing how popular the stations were becoming, organizers acquired groceries through St. Stephens food bank and eventually applied to become a provider through this food bank. Since its opening about five years ago, the CUpboard has been funded by various outside grants which have allowed for a surplus of resources for students to have access to. In 2023 organizers persuaded the University’s administration to expand and make physical space for the CUpboard. What used to be the costume shop, part of the drama department, was cleared out and reorganized to store the groceries. This space is comprised of three spaces, including the front desk where users can sign in using their “shopper number,” one room for food with a commercial fridge and freezer, food, hygiene products, and miscellaneous items like makeup, and another room for clothes mainly stocked with jackets and business attire.
The process to becoming a shopper at the CUpboard is quick and easy for users. Shoppers can come in during open hours and request a registration form that will ask for your name for you to receive a shopper’s number. There is an additional form to fill out asking questions about demographics, race, ethnicity, and income information. Although this form is optional, it is used to record the wide range of members of the University’s community who are using the CUpboard. This data is then compiled together and sent in with applications for grants that fund the pantry. The hours as of now are contingent upon when student volunteers are available in addition to the availability of the two graduate assistants from the social work department. According to organizer Tara Velez, instructor of social work, last school year the CUpboard had about 145 shoppers each month. This year, despite only being open for ten days in August, there were 97 new shoppers registered in addition to 14 unregistered at the time all having visited a combined 124 times.
Organizers of the CUpboard such as Callie Clark, Dean of Student Engagement, Samantha Hicks, Assistant Professor of Social Work/Director of Field Education, and Tara Velez, Instructor of Social Work, among a many others wish to continue to grow the CUpboard over the next few years. Currently it is not university funded and is not an administrative program but has evolved from faculty and staff with administrative support. Organizers hope that with rising numbers they can propose to get a budget from the school.
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