LI college food pantries see rising demand during summer break
“Times are tough, and what we’re seeing is our students have to support their family,” said Frank Vino, of Suffolk County Community College.
More Stories
While many college students are on summer vacation, food pantries across Long Island campuses are still seeing strong demand as the cost of food continues to rise.
At Adelphi University, the Panther Food Pantry has been serving students for eight years, and coordinators say the number of visitors grows every semester.
During the past academic year alone, more than 900 orders were placed through the Adelphi pantry, with more than 6,000 food items distributed to students.
Even during summer break, college food pantries across Nassau and Suffolk counties remain open to support students and staff.
At Stony Brook University, more than 1,000 students used the Seawolf Food Pantry during the last school year. The pantry is now expanding its offerings to include toiletries and a wider range of food options.
“We have a culturally significant foods initiative,” said Emily Snider, of Stony Brook University. “These are goods that represent a variety of cultural backgrounds, religious backgrounds and dietary needs.”
Students register online, select the items they need and pick up their bags prepared by volunteers. There is no limit on how often students can visit.
“We have folks who come in every day during the week, and others who come once a month,” said pantry coordinator Katie McCombs. “It really depends on the need that they have.”
At Suffolk County Community College, summer enrollment is up, and so are visits to food pantries at campuses in Selden, Brentwood and Riverhead. Coordinators say many students are picking up food not just for themselves, but for their families.
“Times are tough, and what we’re seeing is our students have to support their family,” said Frank Vino, of Suffolk County Community College.
College pantry coordinators say they rely on partnerships with larger food banks and regularly hold donation drives, but the need for community support remains constant.
