HEATHER OCCHINO
Special to The Leader
Are you struggling to afford food on a college budget? Are you starting to run low on meals and points in your meal plan?
If so, SUNY Fredonia has created two food pantries located on campus for all students to use.
One pantry is located on the information desk in the Williams Center, next to Tim Hortons. Supplies are provided by The Clarence Community Food Bank. The hours of operation of this pantry are Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Another option for students is to visit the other food pantry located in LoGrasso Hall. Displayed in the outer vestibule is a variety of toiletry food items, such as macaroni and cheese, canned soup, rice, canned vegetables and cereal. Next to the pantry is a retro-style refrigerator which stores fresh cheese, juice, yogurt, frozen foods and other perishable items. This pantry runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Debbie Dibble, director of Student Health Center and coordinator of the food pantry organization, said that the ultimate purpose of the pantry is to “provide the ability for students to have a safe place to get food that they want.” Dibble also noted that those running the pantry donate to the community food bank at the end of the school season toward the end of every year.
Elaborating more about the endeavors of the food pantry, Dibble commented that the pantry is very successful in fulfilling their goal since “thousands of items of food are distributed every academic year.”
When discussing the difference between the pantry in Lograsso Hall and in the Williams Center, Dibble made it known that the pantry in LoGrasso Hall is restocked every Friday and there’s a purchase granted every year to purchase frozen food. She also noted that people use the pantry in LoGrasso Hall more at their own leisure compared to the one in the Williams Center.
One student, who chose to remain anonymous, was skimming for food provided at the pantry located in the Williams Center. They shared that this spring 2022 semester was the first school semester that she used the food pantry. When subsequently asked if she felt that the pantry provided a sufficient amount of food items, she agreed.
She also noted that she knows friends who use the food pantry and she hopes that the food pantry will be available for the future.