Chapman opens new food pantry, stocked to combat food insecurity

After previous years of the food pantry operating out of a small closet, it opened this year with a new space and various additional food options fine-tuned to students' needs. Photo by NATHANIEl RUDOLPH, staff writer

In society, it’s commonplace to hear that college students live off of ramen noodles as their main food source — that these cheap meals are their only source of sustenance because that’s all they can afford with such expensive college tuition. 

In reality, more nutrition is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle while in college.

At Chapman University, a group has arisen on campus that imagines a campus where students have access to nutritious meals to aid their education and support a healthy lifestyle. This dream is becoming a reality thanks to faculty and students who have helped build a thriving food pantry with a community of support.

Chapman’s food pantry, located in Morlan Hall, opened this semester in a brand new, bigger location with more food options and staff to stock the shelves.

“Our old (food pantry) location used to be in a small closet… One or two students would get a week’s worth of food, and it would be bare,” said Annessa Garcia, the resident director of Morlan Hall who also serves as the food pantry coordinator. “Quickly, we went from 15 students utilizing the pantry to 285 students within the years under my supervision.”

With an exponential increase in the apparent need for a stable food source, Garcia knew it was time to find a new space. 

“When North Morlan had the water shutdown last year, I saw a space that was not being used, sitting and collecting dust,” Garcia told The Panther. “The nice thing about being the resident director is that this was my space, so I made the call to move the pantry to this new space.”

Since North Morlan was already being renovated, this new space also got a fresh new look with refrigeration, new floors and — thanks to their donor, Second Harvest — shelves filled with not only food, but hygiene products as well. 

The pantry is also now able to provide students with produce and  refrigerated food items instead of only non-perishable goods.

When deciding what foods to bring to the pantry, Garcia examines each student’s needs and ensures they have what they need in the pantry.

“I am always finding better ways to help support the students here at Chapman, which is why we now have inclusive foods such as kosher, vegan, vegetarian and foods that help students feel like they are at home,” Garcia said. 

When students want to access the pantry, there are no questions asked. They fill out a quick and easy form, getting access to the food pantry on their ID within 24 hours. With an honor system in place, the students can take as much or as little as needed.

However, Garcia said one person running the food pantry wasn’t enough, which is why she decided to hire eight student workers to help keep shelves stocked and students fed.

Valarie Tellez, the graduate assistant for the pantry, told The Panther she is excited to continue Garcia’s work and help spread the word to more students.

“I also know we can reach out to grad students and market the pantry better since no one really knows about it,” Tellez said.

Tellez said many groups at the university are unaware of the food pantry and how they can utilize the resource. 

“We also want to work with the Cross-Cultural Center to help address the underrepresented communities,” Tellez said. 

Garcia and Tellez emphasized that they value specific outreach to underserved communities on campus, including students of color, to help bring them methods to fight food insecurity with the food pantry.

“When I started to dive into the food pantry, I realized a lot was going on here,” Garcia said. “We had no data from the past on the users of the pantry, so I began gathering data in order to create procedures and examine the communities that have been looked over.”

Miguel Calderon — the Chapman case manager — and Garcia have been working on ways to provide food security along with the food pantry. Calderon and Garcia have been trained and certified on CalFresh, a program that provides funds for students to purchase groceries.

Sodexo also donates meal swipes for Garcia and Calderon to load onto some students’ ID cards to provide free meals at the dining hall. 

“I hope the students we have hired can take this and expand on the progress, being the voice of the students for years to come,” Garcia said.
Students can learn more about the food pantry through their website or reach out to Calderon for access to the pantry.