From left to right, criminal justice senior Adelene Exceus, junior Montinique Lynch and psychology junior Melissa Chavez bag canned foods for the MSU Student Food Bank on Sept. 11, 2013, at Olin Health Center. The food will go to students enrolled at MSU that do not have an on-campus meal plans. Margaux Forster/The State News
College — it’s supposed to be the most enriching part of a person’s life, but it also can cause a hefty dent in the wallet and sometimes, it seems near impossible to make ends meet.
The MSU Student Food Bank, which was open yesterday, was the first food bank in the country run by students for students and has been open for two decades.
It provides supplemental food support to any student who cannot afford basic food and does not have a campus meal plan, said Nate Smith-Tyge, MSU Student Food Bank director.
“(Students have told us) the food bank is the difference between buying books and food,” Smith-Tyge said.
The food bank, which distributes food in the Olin Health Center west entrance from 5:30-7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday, provides students with staple foods such as grains and canned vegetables. Smith-Tyge added it often offers fresh produce from The Garden Project, which is part of the Greater Lansing Food Bank.
In celebration of reaching 20 years of service, the food bank plans to host events such as cooking competitions in addition to inviting speakers to raise awareness on global food-insecurity issues.
Smith-Tyge said the food bank serves about 4,000 clients a year, with 250 to 300 people per distribution time.
Brittany Golston, a mathematics senior, visited the food bank for the first time Wednesday. Golston recently started living off campus with her sister, and she didn’t anticipate the financial burden that comes with an off-campus residency.
“It’s really helpful for those of us who live off campus and don’t work enough to pay rent, utilities and go to the grocery store to feed ourselves,” Golston said.
There are approximately 20 to 30 volunteers at each distribution who set up the kitchen and collect the food.
The food bank is financed through charitable organizations and is aided by a grant from the Council of Graduate Students.
“Most of everything we get, we put into purchasing food,” Smith-Tyge said.
Dietetics senior Nicole Edmonds is the operations manager for the MSU Student Food Bank.
“College students are known for being poor,” Edmonds said. “A resource like this is essential especially for students who have family, who can’t work full time and can’t support their families as far as food.”
The MSU Student Food Bank also recently launched the College and University Food Bank Alliance with Oregon State University, Smith-Tyge said. There currently are 18 campuses in the alliance to share resources and practices.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
