Since opening in March, the Avila community pantry Feed Your Friends has provided more than 120 households with nutritious meals and essential resources amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Created to help Avila students, faculty and staff overcome food insecurity, Feed Your Friends has met the demand thanks to gifts from University alumni and friends and a partnership with Harvesters-The Community Food Network. The response from both customers and donors has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Jordan Wagge, associate professor of psychology and pantry organizer.
“We have been happily overwhelmed with the response of the Avila community since we opened earlier this year,” Wagge said. “Too many people suffer from a lack of access to healthy, affordable food, or food insecurity. We formed Feed Your Friends because we were inspired by the CSJ value of serving with the dear neighbor—this seemed like an opportunity to do that in a very real, tangible way.”
In August, the steering committee named Lindsay Beardall, lab manager and instructor with the School of Natural & Applied Sciences, as Feed Your Friends committee chair. Along with two student workers, Beardall manages the pantry and seeks to find innovative ways to make the pantry an effective resource on campus.
“I wanted to get involved because of my own experience as a college student and my study of food microbiology and public health,” Beardall said. “In college, I worked three or four part-time jobs to buy necessities like food or textbooks. I understand first-hand how tight a college student’s budget can be.
“When I heard about the development of the Avila on-campus pantry, I knew I had to apply my experiences and knowledge to support the worth, dignity and potential of all—just like those in my community did for me.”
Located in Dallavis Hall, the pantry offers walk-in hours during the week but is also accessible if visitors make an appointment at its website, avila.edu/pantry. Additionally, high-need food and personal care items are made available at all times on shelves located next to the pantry.
Visit avila.edu/pantry for information on how you can support Feed Your Friends, volunteer or utilize the service.