The funds from the Maryland Food Bank will be used to renovate a storage space in the SMC Campus Center that will become the pantry’s new home.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has received a $12,000 Maryland Food Bank Food First Capacity Grant to support the UMB Student Pantry. The funds will help to renovate a storage space on the third floor of the SMC Campus Center that will become the new home of the Student Pantry.
Courtney Jones Carney, DPA, MBA, executive director, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement, and director, Intercultural Center, wrote the grant proposal after the award opportunity was identified by Jole’ Ruff, MSW, community program specialist, Division of Student Affairs.
“Student hunger in graduate and professional school can be difficult for some to fathom,” Jones Carney said. “It is an honor to lead initiatives that positively impact students’ experiences at UMB and allow them to fulfill the institution’s mission of improving the human condition.”
Jones expressed thanks to Bill Crockett, MS, RCRSP, assistant vice president, Division of Student Affairs; Jimmy Heiner, MS, director, facilities and operations, Division of Student Affairs; and Ryan Hodgson, MLA, senior grants and contracts specialist, University of Maryland Graduate School, for aiding the grant proposal.
According to Patty Alvarez, PhD, MS, chief student affairs officer and associate vice president, Division of Student Affairs, the renovation will allow the pantry to include an in-person pickup model in addition to the existing online ordering option and pop-up events where prepackaged meal or snack kits are distributed.
The pantry distributes about 1,000 pounds of nonperishable food items and toiletries to an average of 82 UMB students each month. It officially opened in January 2022 but began holding pop-up events in September 2021. This year, the number of toiletries and specialty foods (gluten-free, Halal, Kosher, vegan, vegetarian) available to students has increased, Alvarez said.
The Maryland Food Bank grant follows UMB receiving a $13,636 Maryland Higher Education Commission Hunger-Free Campus grant in September 2022 that helped launch the UMB SNAP on Campus and Hot Eats Fund (UMB SNAP CHEF), which provides a monthly monetary benefit to students that can be used to purchase hot and ready-to-eat food through Uber Eats.
“I’d like to thank Courtney and Jole’ for their excellent leadership of the UMB Student Pantry,” Alvarez said. “We also appreciate the many on-campus and corporate partners who assist us in supporting students experiencing food insecurity. And I’d like to thank Lisa Vuolo, executive director of annual and leadership giving, and her colleagues in the Office of Philanthropy for their support.”
To support the UMB Student Pantry, you can donate at this link.