Arcadia Receives PA Grant to Prevent Hunger on Campus
Arcadia University has achieved a PA Hunger-Free campus+ designation and will be awarded a $40,000 grant to help prevent hunger on campus.
The money will focus on equitably serving Arcadia community members who are at the highest risk for hunger.
Specifically, it will be used to:
- Open a satellite Knights for Nutrition Food Pantry in the Oak Summit apartments
- Update the storage for the main campus pantry
- Provide opportunities for students to mingle and share meals
- Stock both pantries
- Distribute food and nutrition related education brochures and recipes to a wide audience in multiple languages
The money for Arcadia is part of $1 million in grants awarded to 28 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania by Governor Tom Wolf.
“With more than a third of students knowing someone who dropped out of college due to food insecurity during the pandemic, hunger affects far too many postsecondary students across the nation,” Governor Wolf said in a statement. “The PA Hunger-Free Campus designation and grant program gives Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities the tools they need to combat hunger on their campuses and provide students with access to healthy food so they can stay focused, learn, and grow.”
The Knights for Nutrition Food Pantry, located in Room 110 at Knight Hall, reopened for the Spring semester. The pantry offers a variety of perishable and non-perishable food items, as well as personal and household hygiene products.
“Arcadia could not be more excited to have this funding to continue our work to not only nourish our most underserved students but also expand the education we provide to students, faculty, and staff regarding food insecurity and how to dismantle it,” said Sabrina Glass, interim director of the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and who oversees the food pantry. “The Knights for Nutrition Food Pantry is a space for all students regardless of year, credit-hours, or any demographic – all are welcome and encouraged to utilize the pantry. We believe it is imperative to break down the stigma surrounding food insecurity and utilizing resources and therefore, the pantry is able to be accessed by all students, no questions asked.”