Students around campus have noticed a decline in food and supplies available at the mini food pantries (found in Scholes, Herrick, and Powell) and in the main food pantry at the Judson Leadership Center. To better understand why this is, and how we can better this resource, I interviewed Zac Laury (they/them), who is one of the current student interns that oversees the food pantries.
I would like to know who the main suppliers are for the food pantry. Is it mainly donation-based, or does the food pantry have a stipend? Is the number of contributors for either monetary or food donations decreasing, increasing, or staying the same? Do alumni still donate funds to keep the Pantry going?
Great question, We have two main ways of supplying the food pantry. The first is Food Link, an organization in Rochester that acts essentially as a food pantry for pantries. They allow us to order food about once a month and have provided a lot of great opportunities. On top of normal ordering, we recently tested monthly produce boxes in which we received about 30 half-bushel boxes of carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbage; however, people didn’t seem interested in taking any of them so we’ve stopped to reduce food waste. While Food Link is great it’s important to keep in mind their limitations, we can only get about one order every month and we get whatever it has, meaning if it’s only offering pasta, beans, and cereal, that’s all I can order. Because of this we often don’t get the objects for the mini pantries, as they either don’t offer or run out of snacks and food items that are easy to make in a microwave such as Easy Mac. Food Link, as great as it is, tends to close often. From December to January for inventory purposes, and sometimes it is on a break, or has less items in the summer.
This brings us to our next way of supplying, which is shopping. As we are run through the wellness center they allow us access to their credit card or other intern goes about once a week (sometimes more sometimes less often) to Walmart and Wegmans to get any items we are lacking in (often snacks). Again, the limit we hit with this is how much one person can store, but in their car. I personally lack a car and our schedules often don’t line up which makes this difficult to do together, however, at our last team meeting our supervisors offered to help us out and bring their cars to help with the shopping so this should be relieved now that we are after the break.
I will say that we haven’t had as many, if any donations at all this last year. We do have a few amazing staff members who will bring donations and AVI donated a lot of frozen food and produce over the winter break. However, we haven’t had a steady stream of donations like we have in previous years. We often get an influx around the summer and winter months as students don’t want to bring food home but that often goes quickly. As for monetary donations, that’s a bit iffy. I personally have not seen any monetary donations over the course of my 2 years with the pantry but, I don’t know if they go straight to the business office or the wellness center. On top of that when asked about our budget we’ve never gotten a clear answer we’ve basically just been told we won’t overdraft so we spend carefully but a lot. I can’t speak on the shopping trips but when I order food it can range from $300 worth of food to $900. It depends on the amount we have in the pantry currently, if we’ve been on break, and we often get food for free through Food Link so it’s more meaningful to look at the weight of the order which has been anywhere from 200 lbs of food to, I believe, 950 lbs of food.
How many volunteers do you currently have working at the Pantry, are you looking for more? If so, how can people reach out to express interest?
At this point, we have four great volunteers along with our other intern Caroline who works in the pantry. They cover most of the days but we are always looking for more. The best way to ask to volunteer is to email us as there is a bit of paperwork you have to do due to our partnership with Food Link. If we are not responding there or you have other questions the best way to reach us would be to DM us on Instagram (@alfredfoodpantry) as I always get the notifications to that on my phone and try to respond in a timely manner, the exceptions with me is if I’m on a break and not working (i.e. spring vacation).
How has the change in leadership at the Wellness Center affected how the Pantry runs? I know that Allsun was helping, but since she left, how has the relationship been between the Pantry and Wellness Center?
Change in leadership has actually always been a struggle with the pantry. The original staff member working with the food pantry was Lacey Gosnell, she left shortly before one of the interns, Knox, graduated. Allsun ended up taking over less than a semester to learn everything before we had to hire the next intern and start training them as the other intern, Michael, was graduating. As you mentioned Allsun left this year, so our current supervisor is Emily Finnemore from the Wellness Center. This has started another cycle of us getting used to each other and having to get Emily accustomed to how the pantry functions since we’re a little different from other food pantries.
I would also like to take a second and address the initial statement of a decline of food and supplies at the pantry. When I initially came to the pantry I believe we were seeing 30-40 visits a month. (Lacey Gosnell’s email account had the form we use to keep track of the visits and it expired last month so I no longer have access to the old data) However, even in the last year, I’ve seen an influx from about 50 visits a month from only students to between 60-75 visits per month with students and community members who need it. As we’ve increased it’s been harder to keep food on the shelves as it usually flies off the day after we put it on. While it’s made staying stocked more difficult I’m ecstatic to see the pantry getting used so much and how well known it’s become throughout the entire student and staff bodies.
Who is taking your place once you graduate? If no one, who are you looking for (values, work time, commitment, etc.)?
We don’t know exactly who’s taking my place once I graduate but I have a few ideas. When me and Caroline were chosen it was based on who was working a lot in the pantry as they would know how it works, who they could trust, who needed it, and who would be there for more than a year. We have discussed this topic in meetings and are going to fully approach it next semester as that’s when I graduate and will need to train my replacement. (we also have an operator’s guide so they will always have that as they move forward). At this point, I have an idea or two on who I would like to replace me but it’s a matter of if they want it or if someone else comes along as well. I’m not entirely sure when but Caroline will also be graduating in the next year to year and a half so we might have two spots opening up soon.