SALT LAKE CITY — A University of Utah program is helping students, faculty and staff dealing with food insecurity through the Feed U Pantry inside the school's student union.
Program staff estimate 30% of college students report being food insecure.
“We have seen about a 60% increase in demand from previous years,” said Gaby Karakcheyeva, a junior who serves as the director of the pantry. “A lot of that has come from general outreach that we have been doing to the campus community and the public. A lot also has to do with the current economic situation.”
In November, the pantry provided a total of 5203 pounds of food to 559 people. When accounting for others who live in households like family or roommates, the food helped nearly 1800 people avoid going hungry.
“It’s a basic service and I think everyone absolutely deserves to not have to worry about both being a student and also having to worry about whether or not they are going to have food that evening,” Karakcheyeva said.
Donations, volunteers, and those committed to making a difference in the community have allowed the facility to grow since its inception in 2014.
The pantry is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., although it will have amended hours during the holiday break.
Because of their commitment to fighting hunger, staff at the Feed U Pantry were honored with the Smith’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste award for December.
“It’s really important to continue the work we do because college students have a lot going on," said Karakcheyeva, "and I find a lot of joy in being able to provide food for my peers."
