Wadsworth Gardens has partnered with the HuskyFAN pantry to host weekly free farmers’ markets every Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first floor of Fisher Hall, across from Fisher 135. Produce such as snap peas, potatoes, green cabbage, kale, and more will be available until the end of the growing season, which typically occurs around the end of October.
The HuskyFAN food pantry, whose mission is to ensure that no Husky goes hungry, offers a range of supplies, including dry goods, produce, protein, as well as oil, cleaning supplies, and more. This pantry is open all year, as long as a volunteer is present. In the case the pantry is unavailable, emergency meals can be acquired by contacting Public Safety and Police Services at the Harold Meese Center.
When asked about the pantry, Tiffany Jaeger, Manager of Student Outreach and Retention, said, “I think we hear all the time that students know that it’s there. They know that it’s available to them, but they’ll say, ‘Oh, somebody needs it more than me.’ So they won’t utilize it as a resource, but you know, pretty much any college student is probably to some extent food insecure. And so we want them to know that it’s open, available to all. And if it’s somebody in the community and they need to refer to the food pantry, they can do that too.” She also emphasized that every student’s visit to the pantry is confidential; the only data collected is used to calculate food usage and student usage for funding purposes.
The pantry is partnered with Feeding America and Chartwells; however, it accepts donations from the community in the form of unexpired shelf-stable food, hygiene/infant products, or monetary contributions (which can be cash, donated online, or in the form of checks). Parents and alumni can donate through PAWS UP Helping Hand, which orders groceries and necessities from Jim’s Foodmart and Amazon. Students can earn volunteer hours through GivePulse by volunteering at the pantry. “We do always want volunteers. So, if you’re in a leadership position and you need volunteer hours, we can help you out with that,” said Jaeger.
For any questions or for more information, contact huskyfan@mtu.edu or visit mtu.edu/huskyfan/pantry/
