Sharing The Bounty
Category: Noteworthy
Food insecurity—not having regular access to enough food to sustain an active, healthy lifestyle—is a growing problem on college campuses across the country. According to Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students, a nationwide report compiled by four student-focused nonprofits, as many as half of low-income students who are supporting themselves while paying for their educations may not be able to afford enough to eat.
Colleges and universities across the country are responding to the need they see, providing food and other resources such as hygiene products. UB’s Campus Pantry is supported by the University of Baltimore Foundation's Fund for Excellence and by UB students, staff, faculty, alumni, local businesses and those in the community.
Here are some ways the Pantry has already made a difference, in a little more than a year of operating on campus:
- 122 customers served
- 20 visits each week on average (for weeks open during Spring 2017)
- 249 total visits
- 24 volunteers recruited
- 157 volunteer hours contributed
- $2,065 in cash gifts received
- 1,621 lbs. of food donated
- 1,061 lbs. of food purchased with UB Foundation Fund for Excellence dollars
- 1,626 lbs. of food picked up by those in need
