HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - On the campus of James Madison University in the building known as “TDU” or “Taylor Down Under,” located in Madison Union, is a resource available for all students.
What started as a few rolling shelves a year ago has become a permanent space for students in need.
“There is a lot of research out nationally now that is showing the need around issues of housing and food insecurity on college campuses. So, we wanted to make sure that we were addressing that need on our campus and for our community,” Jeremy Hawkins, Assistant Director of Off Campus Life at JMU, said. “One of the things that we found in the research that we were doing is that pantry operations that’re set in the community, college students don’t often see that as being a resource for them and they feel that utilizing that kind of resource is actually taking food out of the mouths of community members. So that’s why we felt very strongly that we needed to have a dedicated resource on campus for students.”
The pantry partners with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to get food items every week.
Doors are open Mondays from 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Students can swing by, show their “JACard” and pick up anything they need.
“If they’re having to make a decision between, ‘Do I pick up an extra shift at work or do I skip a class?’ If this can let them make it to that class, that’s important to us,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins added some part-time jobs could be in a shortage during the pandemic, so they want the pantry to be an available resource for students.
Hawkins hopes more JMU students to know the pantry is there.
“We’re very big on it being open to all students no questions asked because we want it to be a low-barrier resource for students in need because we also realize that need can pop up at any time and you don’t know what life circumstances are going to come at you,” Hawkins said.
The pantry isn’t limited to just food. Currently, career clothes, PPE and other health items available.
“They shouldn’t have to struggle when it comes to food when we have so many resources available to them, so we just want to make sure that they know this is a resource and that if that is a struggle they’re facing, they can come and they can get help here,” Hawkins said.
If you’re interested in helping the pantry, they ask for donations not available at the food bank like hygiene products or school supplies.
For more information on the food pantry or how to donate, you can head to their website or send an email to pantry@jmu.edu.
Copyright 2021 WHSV. All rights reserved.
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January 26, 2021 at 08:29AM
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