BU Food Pantry Helps Students Facing Food Insecurity

BU Food Pantry Helps Students Facing Food Insecurity

Run by BU Student Wellbeing, the service offers weekly supplies of canned vegetables, cereals, and pasta, as well as food education and help connecting with other resources in the area

Across the street from Boston University's Agganis Arena, an inconspicuous brick building stands at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Pleasant Street. Inside is an invaluable resource that many don't even know exists-but that helps those struggling with food insecurity, both on- and off-campus.

Food insecurity is defined as having limited or unreliable access to adequate food from a lack of money or other resources. Inside the BU Food Pantry are shelves stocked with canned vegetables, cereals, and pasta, among other items. With its tiled floors and ample walking space, the updated food pantry location, run by BU Student Wellbeing, is fully prepared to feed and support the Boston University student population.

About 29 percent of students at four-year universities face food insecurity, according to a recent study conducted by the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University. And while students might not qualify for the Massachusetts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families and individuals, they might still struggle to afford food.

Additionally, in light of recent partial federal cuts to SNAP-the largest food and nutrition assistance program in the country-and the federal government shutdown, students who rely on these services now face a greater likelihood of experiencing hunger or food insecurity. A recent study by researchers at the BU School of Public Health found that when COVID-related SNAP benefits ended, many families struggled to afford food and other household necessities. The researchers emphasize that beyond physical health and developmental issues, even short-term disruptions in food access can have a negative impact on mental and emotional well-being.

Support the BU Food Pantry in Two Ways

This month, the BU Food Pantry, in partnership with BU Advancement, is launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise $100,000 in support of students facing food insecurity. A gift of $25 provides a student with a week's worth of staples; $75 stocks the rice shelf for a week; $120 fills the peanut butter shelf; and $2,000 supports the entire pantry. Join their effort and make a donation here.

November marks a monthlong University initiative called Check Hunger. Supported by BU Athletics, the men's and women's ice hockey teams, and Agganis Arena, the campaign aims to raise awareness of food insecurity on campus. During the month of November, Terrier fans are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to any men's or women's hockey home game (or make a cash donation to the BU Food Pantry), which enters them into a raffle to win an eight-person suite to watch the men's home game against New Hampshire on February 14.

That's where the vital BU Food Pantry comes in: it serves as a resource for any BU student in need, whether or not they qualify for SNAP. Each year, the BU Food Pantry distributes thousands of pounds of food to students (18,760 pounds were handed out in 2024, the pantry team says, with over 2,400 orders fulfilled).

"All of us working on food insecurity are concerned about the ability to access affordable food," says Kris Covarrubias, Student Wellbeing's director of strategy, marketing, and communications. "Without a doubt, the suspension of SNAP benefits in Massachusetts will have a tremendous impact on our community. Food pantries across the state are mobilizing resources to provide as much food support as possible."

Some may wonder why students at costly colleges (like BU) need food pantries, yet a recent report from the nonprofit Trellis Strategies found that 45 percent of over 700,000 students face food insecurity-higher than the general population. Contributing factors include limited resources, stigma, busy schedules, and poor cooking skills. As a result, campus food pantries have surged from 88 in 2012 to more than 800 in 2022.

Using the pantry's order form, students can choose various canned and other items from the Medical Campus or Charles River Campus location. The request is filled by student workers and ready for pickup three business days later. There are, however, some limitations. Students can place only one order per week, and cannot receive more than two items per grocery category per order. There are nine categories-including grains and pasta, meat and fish, and soup-so students can order and receive up to 18 items per week.

To respect students' privacy, users submit only their BU ID number and receive an order number. Their paper bags are labeled with that order number, rather than their name. This semester, the pantry is open weekdays on the Medical Campus and Tuesday through Thursday on the Charles River Campus, but the schedule changes every semester based on the availability of its student workers.

Carrie Landa, executive director of Student Wellbeing, says the intention of the pantry is to provide shelf-stable supplements, so it doesn't necessarily have all the components for weekly groceries, like perishables.

"We have to just be mindful with how much we can distribute, just to also ensure that we're impacting as many students as possible versus a smaller number," says Landa, who spearheaded the launch of the pantry back in 2023, alongside Ellen Faszewski, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development associate dean for student affairs.

Beyond running the food pantry, Student Wellbeing also helps direct students to other food resources on and off campus, such as Dining Services' Terrier Meal Share program-where students can donate any unused guest meal swipes to other students-city food pantries, coupon programs, food education, and budget-friendly recipes.

"It's really easy to go and buy an expensive, nutritious meal, but how do you buy an inexpensive nutritious meal?" Landa says. "[We're] teaching students how to have budget-friendly food options, and recognize that it's doable."

The BU Food Pantry is available to students on both the Charles River and Medical Campuses. Twice a week, Student Food Rescue, a BU program that connects student volunteers with the wider Boston community, transports orders to the Medical Campus location to save MED students the trip.

The pantry is made possible with help from a variety of support streams, including donations from the BU community. Specific community support initiatives-like departmental and student group food drives, Goodwill, Not Landfill, and the pantry's November fundraising campaign-all make the program possible.

Students who use the food pantry are invited to send anonymous comments to the team about their experience via the website. "The staff at the pantry was extremely sweet and compassionate, and it relieved a lot of anxiety around going to the pantry and being seen receiving help," wrote one user. "It helped me get through a few weeks of temporary/conditional food insecurity while I was waiting to be paid for a fellowship, and it made a huge difference in my ability to live normally and function and just be a student."

The BU Food Pantry is one of many options the University and the city of Boston offer to address hunger and food insecurity in the commonwealth; find more information about local programs and initiatives used to fight hunger here.

Explore Related Topics:

• Nutrition
• Students
• Wellness

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