Food Pantry will open three days a week beginning this fall

According to Pope's annual report about the Food Pantry, the number of students served in 2022-23 was 1,201, fewer than the previous year due to available staffing for one day a month compared to several days a month in 2021-22.

“Hopefully, the pantry being open more regularly and offering new foods will encourage some students who haven't been using the food pantry to stop in,” Pope said. “We added shredded cheese, tortillas, carrots, and celery based on feedback from the students.”

Pope said according to a survey by the Hope Center, the average four-year college has 29 percent of students experiencing food insecurity. CSC’s level is almost twice as high at 56 percent based on a Spring 2023 American College Health Association’s (ACHA) National College Health Assessment (NCHA).

Pope will receive assistance this year from Graduate Assistant Brooke Kramer, who will work part-time planning events and creating social media posts.

Last year, Student Senate donated $12,000 to the Food Pantry, the Immanuel Lutheran Church Shepard’s Pantry and Security First Bank of Chadron each donated $500, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Rapid City donated 3,000 pounds of non-perishables.

During the coming year, the pantry will receive a Community Cares grant from Northwest Community Action Partnership that provides fresh produce. Pope is also exploring additional options for local grants through the Chadron State Foundation.

Pope plans to organize a campus food drive in November. Asking employees for donations, including excess garden produce, is one of several ways the food pantry receives contributions. There is also a crowdfunding link on the web page and an option to order from Amazon. Pope plans to add more diverse foods to the Amazon list based on suggestions from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

The Food Pantry is partnering with CSC Wellness to provide monthly recipes students can make using ingredients from the Food Pantry. Another new feature Pope plans to offer is a food kit once a semester.

“The idea is for students to prepare a meal with their friends, so the meal kit would be incorporating social wellness, in addition to the food,” Pope said.  

In addition to collaborating with entities on campus, Pope participated in a statewide video conference earlier this summer with representatives from food pantries in the university system, private institutions, and community colleges.

“We shared how our food pantries operate, how many students we serve, and we plan to meet quarterly,” Pope said.

Pope also announced that CSC is now affiliated with Swipe Out Hunger a nonprofit organization that offers managers of college food pantries a best practices toolkit, marketing guidelines, and monthly webinars.

For individuals interested in donating to the Food Pantry, visit its donation page at https://www.csc.edu/foodpantry/donate/.