MSU Food Pantry Case Study

Michigan State University (MSU) Student Food Bank was the first campus-based food pantry in the nation, founded in 1993 by a group of students and staff (CUFBA, 2016; MSU Food Bank, 2014). The pantry has remained a registered student organization (RSO) ( MSU Food Bank, 2014). The following is their mission statement: “The MSU Student Food Bank is intended to provide supplemental food and other necessities for students and their families who are in need of this type of support” (MSU Food Bank, 2014). It works through community and organization donations serving over 4,000 undergraduate, graduate students and their families who do not have an on-campus meal plan, per year. That equates to 50,000 pounds of food annually. They are open twice a …show more content…
Students are welcomed shop the pantry once daily from Monday-Friday, between 12:30-2:30 PM. They may receive up to five items daily. “The collaborative mission of the PSU Food Pantry is to be of service to currently enrolled Portland State University students, by providing a free resource, a sharing community, and a welcoming, inclusive, dignified environment to acquire food items on a regular basis” (PSU Food Pantry, n.d.). 
 In comparison to PSU, MSU Food Pantry has a legible official website. They provide students with up-to date information and easy to find sections for students, volunteers, donors and contact information for inquiries. In out capstone PSU & Hunger, we’ve determined PSU Pantry’s food supply tends to be insufficient for all students seeking assistance. Some of the problems mentioned in class include, lack of drivers to the Oregon Food Bank, insufficient amount of space for food, and inadequate refrigeration for perishables. My proposed solution is varying hours of operation and limiting the amount of times can go to the pantry to a once a week basis. Varying hours of operations will allow food insecure students who are unable to make it to the pantry from 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM