Office of Higher Education awards SCSU $50k in grants for Huskies Food Pantry

Minnesota's Office of Higher Education (OHE) recently awarded $50k in grants to St. Cloud State University as part of a statewide initiative to address food insecurities at Minnesota institutions.

The Hunger Free Campus initiative was established in 2021 to provide grants to institutions invested in reducing food insecurity and achieving the Hunger Free Campus designation. SCSU received the $25k Pathways to Designation Grant and the $25k Equipment Grant.

These grants will build upon the work of the Huskies Food Pantry, which expanded to move into the Miller Center in August. The Huskies Food Pantry had nearly 10,000 total visits during the 2023-24 academic year, distributing over 119,000 pounds of food to almost 2,300 individual students.

"For too many students, food insecurity is a daily concern," OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said. "This initiative is providing those students with the nutrition they need to focus on their studies and finish their program. I look forward to a day when every campus in the state is hunger free."

SCSU was one of 24 campuses, public and private, to be awarded a grant. Hunger Free Campus grants totaled over $400k in 2024.

Learn more about the Huskies Food Pantry.