By: Nicole Hassinger
Staff Writer
IU South Bend will have a food pantry available for students starting in the spring in the Student Activities Center.
The pantry, opening Jan. 11, will be called Titans Feeding Titans, and will specifically be for helping the IUSB students and faculty that are in need, requiring only that they present a valid ID card.
Student Services and the School of Social Work teamed up to put the food pantry together.
“Students live here that have a need, and being a big commuter campus means that financially, students need it,” said IUSB disabilities specialist Anne Drake.
Single students have difficulties getting enough food if they go to food banks off-campus, Drake said. The food bank is intended to help students that might have food insecurities if not for the added help.
“We want to reach out to students. Ultimately, we want to help students take back a little part of that worry and stress off their minds. This, we hope will help take stress off and enable them to concentrate on other things for the time being. If that’s all we can do, then we will still be able to help,” Drake said.
Drake’s social work class about social welfare policy put the proposal for the food pantry together to present to the chancellor in 2014. It was approved.
The food pantry will be located in the concession stand area of the Student Activities Center Room 114.
The pantry will run on donations. IUSB is not directly funding the project. Cash donations are not accepted yet. Titans Feeding Titans is able to accept pantry and non-perishable items.
They plan to have food drives in the upcoming weeks to supply the pantry.
Students will run the food pantry primarily. Drake said they would seek an intern from the School of Social Work in the future. All staff members will be volunteers.
The pantry will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for four hours each day.
