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20 years later, MSU Student Food Bank continues helping needy

November 21, 2013

When Health Education Services Coordinator Dennis Martell was first hired at MSU twenty years ago, the MSU Food Bank needed a place to go.

“It became a natural conversation, to have the bank here at Olin,” Martell said. “The dining room and kitchen here weren’t being utilized all the time. And to be honest, space is one of the most sought-after commodities sought after on this campus.”

The MSU Food Bank, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was established by Delores Mott, an administrative assistant to a number of presidents of MSU, working for John Hannah through Cecil Mackey’s term.

“For 20 years, Olin has been the space we use for storage, distribution and our offices, all for free,” Food Bank Director Nate Smith-Tyge said. “If we had to rent space from elsewhere on campus, that would be a significant crunch on our budget.”

The relationship has continued — Martell acts as an advisor for the Food Bank, and Olin continues to house the bank and pay utilities.

The Food Bank also has become a healthy alternative to fast food for students and local community members in need.

“We try to focus on having all the food groups represented,” Smith-Tyge said. “People can get staple foods at a food bank that are necessary for a well-balanced diet. And that may keep some financially struggling people from turning to cheap, high fat foods with lots of high fructose corn syrup, the kind of food that fills your stomach but leaves you wanting nutritionally”

A partnership with the Greater Lansing Food Bank means students can reap the benefits of The Garden Project, an initiative that gets fresh produce to food banks that are members in the area, Smith-Tyge said.

“Volunteers in this project reclaim produce from stores that’s about to expire, but they also go to community farms, even farms and MSU, to take the excess that wasn’t neededfor growth or research,” Smith-Tyge said. “Then they distribute it to places like ours.”

Dietetics senior Nicole Edmonds, who is the operations manager for the Food Bank, said non-perishable items aside from produce can encourage families or off-campus students to cook at home, which often is healthier.

“Even if our clients are simply encouraged to cook at home by utilizing our resources, I see that as a win over fast food,” Edmonds said.

Relying on the MSU Food Bank also can relieve some stress for overwhelmed students, Smith-Tyge said.

Student Health Services has tried to remove the stigma associated with it, Martell said, with physicians referring needy students to the Food Bank.

“The idea is to provide supplemental food as support for people who need it, to free up other stresses,” Smith-Tyge said. “If students don’t have ?to worry about food security, they can focus more on academics, and that’s one (stress) relieved. They can take that extra class, they can graduate on time.”

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