By Francesca Booth
A food pantry has opened at De Montfort University to support students who are struggling to feed themselves properly as they battle to make ends meet.
The Food Pantry is available to access in the Students’ Union building from Mondays to Fridays, between 10am and 3.30pm, by asking at the DMU Advice desk.
The initiative, started by previous Student Voice leaders, has proven to be necessary for students and has seen a big increase in visits since it was launched in December with the aim of trying to reach struggling students and provide an option they can access on campus.
Emily Honeyman, a member of the Advice team, described the Food Pantry.
“It is a safety net in some ways,” she said, “because obviously being a student is hard enough without having to worry about what you’re going to have for your dinner or your lunch.”
She explained that the Food Pantry allows students to pick out a maximum of 10 items to help them; all the items are non-perishables as the Pantry is still just starting up.
Another member of the Advice team, who did not want to be named, added: “Some students haven’t taken that many items and have just come in to top up what they’ve already got.
“We do have food bank vouchers that students have signed up for also, but the Pantry is a lot easier because students can just come in and choose what they need to choose.”
Alongside food, the Pantry stocks hygiene products for students to collect if they need to, because if students can’t afford food, they may not be able to afford hygiene products.
The Food Pantry has a card scheme, with cards handed out upon the first visit. After someone has had three stamps on their card, a conversation will be had with them to check if additional support is needed.
Part of the reason behind the Food Pantry is to remove the stigma of needing access to such a service as anyone could need to use it at any point. Emily said it is about how they can support students and going to the deeper root of the issue.
Describing the motive for setting up the Food Pantry, Emily said: “Because everyone can just feel how hard things are and it’s that thing of, if someone having a bag of pasta can make their week slightly easier; that’s why it’s small things that often make the difference.”
The Food Pantry also supplies a cookbook so students can discover meals to make for any mealtime.
Donations to the Food Pantry are welcome, and should be given to a member of the Advice team.
“The most important thing,” Emily added, “is don’t be afraid to come because it’s a big thing. It’s not easy to ask for help in any situation but you’re not alone. As well, anyone could need to use this and it’s here to be used.
“Life’s hard enough. Let’s just make something slightly easier that you might not have to worry about as much.”
