UT opens student food pantry Oct. 12 alongside hunger walk

Shelves filled with boxed and canned food line the inside of the University of Toledo Student Food Pantry as it prepares for its grand opening on Oct. 12.

“We were aware that some of our students simply run out of food or meal swipes or things are just not in order for them at any given moment and they could have a hunger need,” said Sabina Serratos, associate director of the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services and head of the food pantry. “Of course this is not in place to take care of their hunger needs in full, but it’s to bridge that gap if they have trouble supporting themselves.”

The food pantry, located in the basement of the Interfaith Center across from Lot 13, is available to all UT students as long as they meet both of the requirements that the pantry holds.

“The first requirement is you have to be a UT student — undergrad, grad, Health Science Campus, Main Campus — it doesn’t matter, as long as you are a UT student with a UT student ID,” Serratos said. “The other requirement is that they have a genuine need.”

When it comes to having a “genuine need,” Serratos said they look at the poverty level for an individual, which is an annual income of about $17,000. Serratos said anyone at or below this income level is considered to have need, meaning they can utilize the pantry. However, income level set aside, Serratos said the pantry trusts students who say they are hungry and will feed them.

The pantry is open Monday through Thursday, and their hours can be found struggle to find a satisfying meal plan.

“I feel that students like myself sometimes can’t get a food plan that fits their needs, which means they occasionally have to skip meals,” Rowe said. “I think that the students who need it will use it, and it’s a good idea.”

The idea for a food pantry for UT students was first pitched in 2012 by Serratos, but it was not until April of this year when it started to take form.

“I started the initiative to begin a student food pantry because it was on my heart and on my mind for the past few years,” Serratos said. “I fight for what any caring person would do, and since this is now a part of my job, I can do whatever it takes to make this a successful food pantry.”

David Montgomery, Reverend and director of Toledo Campus Ministry, was also glad to have the food pantry established, but he expressed disappointment with how little use the pantry has had from students so far.

“I am so glad that this has gotten started and there’s just this huge sense of joy,” Montgomery said. “I’m disappointed that so few students have come by and taken advantage of this gift that has been given to them though.”

According to Serratos, her department was able to form a partnership with the Toledo Seagate Food Bank, who helped initially get the pantry off the ground.

“This all took place over the summertime and I really wanted to work at a fast pace so that we could establish it and have it running during the fall semester,” Serratos said.

Serratos said the pantry is “mutually supported,” mentioning that they received their first financial donation from Feed Your Neighbor, a program of Toledo Area Ministries which serves those in need of emergency food assistance through its network of 12 food pantries located across the Toledo area.

Serratos also said the pantry received their first week’s supply of food from the Toledo Seagate Food Bank.

According to Serratos, the pantry will assess their food needs once a month, and the Feed Your Neighbor program will provide for them until they are either self-sustaining or receive enough donations from other sources.

Serratos said the pantry is stocked with boxed and canned food for now, but as the pantry grows and becomes more stable, they would like to add a refrigerator stocked with fresh foods.

According to Serratos, the food pantry is run primarily by volunteers who are graduate assistants and practicum students as well as some undergrad students; Serratos then oversees their work.

Although the pantry was just opened this year, Zach Rasey, a first-year graduate student in higher education and a graduate assistant, hopes to use student power to help stabilize the pantry’s development by starting a volunteer group.

“We devote a considerable amount of thought and time into how we can reach as many folks as possible so we can fulfill our mission,” Rasey said.

Along with the grand opening of the food pantry, the CROP Hunger Walk will also take place on campus Oct. 12.

“This is the second year that the CROP Hunger Walk will be taking place on campus,” Serratos said. “It just seemed like a great match with the opening of the pantry, which is why we decided to host it along with the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

The event will start in Lot 13 with registration beginning at 2 p.m. and the walk beginning at 2:30 p.m. A small festival will also take place afterward.

The Experiential Learning and Career Development Office will host the walk while Serratos will be the main contact if there are any questions. Other sponsors include the Toledo Campus Ministry and Toledo Area Ministry.

Of the proceeds raised during the CROP Hunger Walk, 25 percent will be donated to the Toledo Feed Your Neighbor Program. The rest of the donations will go to the Church World Service program, a nonprofit organization aiming “to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world,” according to the group’s website.

“Being in the front line of working with students, you get to know their struggles up front,” Serratos said. “One hungry student is one too many.”

For those interested in donating to the UT Student Food Pantry, various drop-off locations are located around campus, including in the Carlson Library.

Questions regarding the pantry or CROP Hunger Walk should be directed to Serratos at [email protected]