UMass Amherst to Partner with Amherst Survival Center to Establish Campus Food Pantry
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Source: UMass News and Media
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is forging a long-term partnership with the Amherst Survival Center to establish and run a food pantry on the UMass Amherst campus, the university announced today. The pantry will be open to university students and employees experiencing food insecurity.
The pantry, scheduled to open in fall 2025, will be located at 472 North Pleasant St. in Amherst, in the building that formerly housed the Newman Catholic Center, which relocated to a new facility in 2023. The new space will boast ample storage and refrigeration capabilities, easy access by car and bus, and a welcoming environment for pantry shoppers to select from non-perishable and fresh foods, provided by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, direct donations, as well as purchased items.
As National Hunger Action Month comes to a close, this commitment from UMass Amherst is a recognition that hunger on college campuses is a harsh reality. Nationally, one in three college students face food insecurity. As a community, UMass Amherst believes no one, particularly on campus, should go hungry.
“This partnership with the Amherst Survival Center to address food insecurity among our students represents our campus’s deep commitment to fostering a living-learning environment where our economically disadvantaged students are supported as they strive to achieve their educational goals,” said UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes. “I am deeply grateful to our students for their relentless advocacy to address this urgent need. This food pantry will have a significant, positive impact on our community.”
“We want college students focusing on their studies, not worrying about where they will get their next meal, so we are excited to partner with UMass to meet this critical need,” shared Lev BenEzra, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center. “The Center has seen skyrocketing levels of need over the past few years, including from UMass students, both on-campus and off. This on-campus pantry will serve more students, and serve them better, as it can be tailored to meet their unique needs. I truly applaud the university’s investment in this work, and the efforts of the many student leaders who have brought us to this point.”
“Food is a human right. No person in this country should ever have to wonder where their next meal will come from — yet too often, students fall through the cracks. The hidden nature of student hunger means it often goes unaddressed,” said Congressman Jim McGovern. “The next generation of Americans can’t study for their exams or prepare for careers that advance the future of this country when all they can think about is how hungry they are. I’m thankful to Chancellor Reyes and his administration for taking this important step forward. I’m in awe of the student leaders who advocated for the creation of this pantry, they are anti-hunger champions who have made a difference. And I’m grateful to Lev BenEzra and the Amherst Survival Center for their partnership in making this a reality. We must continue to work towards a community where every single person has the food they need to survive and thrive.”
“Too many students attending Massachusetts colleges are food insecure. Ensuring that students have access to healthy and nutritious food so they are ready to learn is paramount to their success,” said State Sen. Jo Comerford.“I am heartened that UMass Amherst and the Amherst Survival Center are partnering to create a food pantry on campus to better serve students experiencing food insecurity. Western Massachusetts continues to lead the commonwealth in developing innovative solutions to combat hunger. This food pantry is an important step towards ending hunger in the region.”
“I am thrilled that UMass and the Amherst Survival Center are joining forces to establish an on-campus food pantry and celebrate their collective commitment to combatting hunger on campus.” said State Rep. Mindy Domb. “I congratulate the student activists and the institutional leaders who have worked hard to make this program a reality, and the Amherst Survival Center whose engagement ensures that the program will be delivered with dignity, professionalism, continuity and care. This partnership represents a new and deeper level of community-campus collaboration, and I am excited to see it advance. There’s more work to do, and I look forward to using all the strategies we have available to respond to hunger in our community, including our campus community. I want to thank the chancellor for his leadership on these efforts.”
The North Pleasant Street location will act as a hub for the Dean of Students Office basic needs initiative, centralizing access to the pantry as well as other campus services such as the Student Care Supply Closet and the student-run Food Recovery Network, which recovers leftover food from university dining halls and donates it to individuals experiencing food insecurity.
The new pantry will be the university’s latest effort to address food insecurity. The Center for Education Policy and Advocacy launched a student-run food closet in April 2024. UMass Dining is dedicated to the principle that “No Student Goes Hungry” and actively supports the campus food security initiative. To aid these efforts, they offer a discount program at various campus locations, a Supplemental Meal Swipe Program, and a Meal Plan Assistance Program for students facing financial hardship. In addition, the university provides assistance enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and for other public benefits.
UMass Amherst’s anti-hunger efforts are guided by the Food Security Working Group, a multidisciplinary team formed and convened by the Dean of Students Office, bringing together campus officials as well as representatives from student groups and off-campus partners to meet regularly to discuss food insecurity, and identify root causes and potential solutions.
Contacts:
Melinda Rose, melindarose@umass.edu
Lev BenEzra, lev@amherstsurvival.org
I found it strange that a University needs a food pantry for it’s students. Don’t they have meal plans for the young people as part of the tuition? You may not like the food, but you can get fed. Then I listened to a show by Richard Wolff about the financializing of public universities. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ4WZ6H2W-M&list=PLPJpiw1WYdTMLIyASxEheOVjl1vKkajYj&index=1&pp=iAQB
It goes like this, Public Universities are getting less funding, so banks come in with loans, so now the university is in debt to the banks. So the tuition payments go to servicing the debt not to educating and feeding the students.
Next on on-campus homeless shelter with cots for students who can’t afford Amherst rents .
Food insecurity and housing insecurity are real for some UMass students. I’ve know students whose families struggle to make ends meet and who work part-time jobs to pay for school and still can’t afford meal plans so they survive on Ramen noodles and crackers. The lack of on-campus housing means they get taken advantage of by owners. I met one student whose only available choice was to pay $600 to rent the unheated sunroom in a house that held 5 other students. It’s great that Survival Center has stepped in, but UMass has some responsibility to provide services and adequate housing for undergrads and graduate students.