CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — "There should be four things of black beans," student Jordan Hamm said.
Boxes were stacked and lists were checked inside the Austin Peay State University food pantry.
"Just make sure that we got everything we ordered," Hamm said.
This is what meeting a need looks like. In 2020, 3.8 million college students nationwide faced food insecurity, representing about a quarter of all college students. With rising grocery costs contributing to the problem, one university hopes to help combat the problem for students who do not know where their next meal will come from.
At some point, over half of the students at APSU have not known where their next meal could come from. Now, a new partnership is helping meet that need in a bigger way.
Pantry director Alexandra Wills said the university is teaming up with a local food bank to bring more food and variety to students.
"We are working with Second Harvest to access extra food for our food pantry to help our students out," Wills said.
The expanded resources help students who are balancing it all.
"Students working full-time, going to class full-time, trying to get those extra internships," Wills said.
The support also stretches beyond just the individual student.
"We don’t just feed the student. We feed anybody that they consider dependent upon them," Wills said.
Despite the high need, using a food pantry can be difficult for some. Student Jordan Hamm works at the pantry to help change that perception.
"There’s definitely kind of a stigma around food pantries. It can be kind of a nerve-wracking or intimidating experience," Hamm said.
Hamm works to make the pantry a welcoming environment for peers.
"I’m able to kind of be a friendly face and welcome them," Hamm said.
The reality of food insecurity is often closer than people realize.
"Some of the people I sit next to in class, I’ve seen here in the pantry," Hamm said.
Inside the pantry, it is not just about what is on the shelves, but who is standing beside you.
"You never know what anyone is going through," Hamm said.
Students at APSU can visit the food pantry once a week. The pantry is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Have you or someone you know experienced food insecurity while in college? We want to hear your story and continue shedding light on this important issue. Watch the full video above to see the APSU pantry in action, and reach out to share your thoughts at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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