Bona's plentiful pantry
by Emma Fox, '21

A Bonnie believes no one should go hungry.

That’s why the Franciscan Center for Social Concern (FCSC) has created the SBU Food Pantry.

“The face of hunger can be as close as the person beside you,” said Alice Miller Nation, director of the FCSC. “The food pantry is a way for all members of the campus community to have consistent access to nutritious food.”

Located in room 114 of the McGinley-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministry, the pantry offers a variety of fresh, frozen, refrigerated, canned and boxed food items. Any student, faculty, or staff member can choose up to five items per day (six on Friday). Hours of operation are Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m., and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

The goal of the pantry: to ensure no one on campus suffers from food insecurity.

Defined as the inability to consistently receive nutritious and fulfilling meals, food insecurity could negatively impact a student’s wellbeing, as well as their academic performance.

In the 2018-2019 school year, Miller Nation came up with the idea of a food pantry as an important outreach service for the FCSC. She put together a team of students to tackle the problem: Trevor Carney, ’20; Trevor North, ’20; and Grace Seeley, ’21.

Following a series of meetings and careful planning, the team arranged for a room in the ministry center to house the pantry. After setting up racks and refrigeration, they stocked the pantry with donations from both alumni and the food drive they ran at the start of October—an ongoing task thanks to the generosity of the Bona community.

Together, they stocked the shelves and were ready to open officially open the SBU Food Pantry in time for the cold weather.

“Twenty-five to 30 percent of undergrads suffer from food insecurity. We want to amend that, and we really want people to know the food pantry there for them,” Seeley said.

Now the primary goal is advertising. The team hopes to feature food drives during basketball games so more students are aware of the food pantry and understand how to access it when needed.

The hope is that alumni will support the cause as well, either through food donations or monetary support.

“The pantry is up and running, and it would be an amazing thing to be able to pass on to other students to ensure their success through food security,” Carney said. “Those who support it create more supporters; hopefully it’s a gift that will keep on giving.”