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Amid rising food insecurity, Syracuse University students can pick up groceries and hygiene products at the Carriage House — the home of South Campus’s food pantry.

The pantry, which operates every Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. on 161 Farm Acre Road, provides all students with an opportunity to pick up groceries such as pasta, canned goods and fresh produce directly from Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus.

SU’s South Campus food pantry manager, Veronique Wojcik, said the food pantry is important to students, with data showing that 33% to 51% of college students suffer from food insecurity.

“Food insecurity is a prevalent issue, especially in Syracuse and on college campuses, we’ve kind of normalized the whole starving student thing. So if you can’t afford your next meal, that’s normal,” said Wojcik, a senior studying food studies. “But, in reality, if you can’t afford your next meal and you don’t know where it’s coming from, that’s food insecurity.”

SU Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Cadwell said food insecurity, which she said has worsened since COVID-19, poses threats such as higher rates of stress to students on college campuses around the country. SU’s food pantries on South Campus and in Hendricks Chapel have “proven necessary for students,” she said.

“All of our students have their own individual stories, and they all come here for different reasons,” Cadwell said. “Knowing that they’re all here to get a bag of groceries, and we’re able to fulfill that need for that week for them is very fulfilling, it just touches you in a way that you know, you’re filling that small need so that they’re not going hungry.”

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Organizers said students are largely unaware of the pantry, which is often underutilized despite its accessibility for all students living on South Campus.

“It’s hard to increase awareness because we don’t have that many students. Students just don’t know about it, and I don’t think even I would have known about it if I wasn’t a food studies major where they mentioned it in our classes,” Wojcik said. “Food insecurity is a big issue and I think it’s hard to openly admit that ‘OK, I do need help.’”

Cadwell said she strongly encourages students who are struggling to pay for groceries to utilize the food pantry.

“The resource is here for all of our students, and there’s really no stigma around it. We don’t look at any of our students in any way when they come in here … it could be just to get over that small little hump for that one week,” Cadwell said. “They shouldn’t look at themselves differently than any other students who come to Syracuse University.”

The food pantry also provides a great opportunity for students to complete volunteer hours, said Grace Phillips, a senior finance major who recently began volunteering at the pantry.

Phillips said her Green Supply Chain Management class at SU inspired her to get involved with the pantry, and that everyone volunteering was “really helpful and passionate about helping people.”

Outside of volunteering, students can donate any food that still has a “use by” date to the pantry. As the spring 2024 semester comes to a close, Cadwell said there are many students who stay in Syracuse throughout the summer who would benefit from any additional donations. Cadwell said students interested in donating food can reach out to her at sustain@syr.edu.

“If (students) want to go through any other food items that they have sitting in their pantry right now, they’re more than welcome to drop them off here at the Carriage House because we will be open and we can still use all that food,” Cadwell said.

Published on April 22, 2024 at 10:42 pm