STORRS, Conn. — The University of Connecticut in Storrs is focusing on how it can help students have full plates while working towards their degrees.
The new food pantry called Husky Harvest is officially open Monday. It will help thousands of students in need of groceries, especially students that don't have meal plans to rely on.
"Collegiate hunger is a real problem, not just here in Connecticut, but all across the country," said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Food Share.
Just grab and go. It couldn't be easier for students to stock the kitchens in their college homes—all thanks to Husky Harvest which tackles food insecurity.
It's a little market, where nothing has a price tag, filled with canned goods, snacks, meats and toiletries.
Any student with a school identification card can take what they need to put food on their tables.
"This food pantry will allow me to grab food and have a quick and easy meal," said sophomore Jen Ryu.
While the pantry will help thousands of students, it's really geared towards students in on or off-campus apartments that don't have meal plans, many of who struggle to afford grocery store prices.
"I think it’s very important. Personally, I come from a low-income family, an immigrant family, and we lived off food stamps my whole life so when I came here I was on my own because they had to provide for my other siblings," said Ryu.
Similar food pantries were recently opened at UConn's regional campuses, thanks to Connecticut Food Share.
Jakubowski said those were so successful, the pantry was able to expand into Storrs.
"We’re dealing with inflation, all these other costs and financial burdens, how do we help the people that need it? They’re on fixed incomes, if any incomes at all, they’re paying for classes and books, they’re paying for transportation and housing," said Jakubowski.
The timing of the new pantry is crucial as the need for help to battle food insecurity across the state is still too high.
"The need is not as high as the peak of the pandemic and hopefully won’t be again but the bad news is that we’re not back to where we were previously before the pandemic," said Jakubowski.
The pantry will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at the Charter Oaks apartment complex community center.
Lindsey Kane is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at Lkane@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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