CFCC and UNCW address student food insecurity with food pantries

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With the cost of food and other necessities rising, UNCW and Cape Fear Community College are touting services to address food insecurity among students.

Both Cape Fear Community College and UNCW have food pantries, allowing students to grab items to help supplement their grocery lists.

UNCW’s food pantry is called “Hawks Harvest”, and CFCC’s is “Ray’s Tray”. Both schools say they have seen an increase in the number of student, and even staff coming to get food from their pantries.

“We have had so much activity in our pantry this year, within the first month of this school year. We’ve had more activity than the whole entire last year. So, it’s been really active, after COVID and more people being on campus, we’ve seen a ramp up in everything,” said Cassidy McFadden, UNCW Student Community Engagement project manager.

“We have a non-traditional population here at the school, different than the university, perhaps, and as a result we have people who are trying to feed their entire families,” said Kate Santhuff, CFCC food pantry founding board member.

Both pantries hold non-perishables, pasta, cereal, and toiletries.

No questions are asked to the those on-campus seeking things from the pantries, but both require school ID to be shown before you shop.

“Just a positive response, absolutely. Students are very grateful; they thank us for being here. We reiterate that this is coming from CFCC staff from employees, from our students donating, outside sources giving to us. They don’t abuse the system, when you have student’s come in. they’re like, I’m only going to take what I need, we give them a bag, and their like I’m going to leave it for other people. So they’re very considerate of others,” said Terri Andress, CFCC food pantry founding board member.

Both food pantries are open year-round and are in need of donations. They are expecting a rush of students needing its services ahead of the holidays.

“The people that I have talked to that they really people don’t know that we have a food pantry, when it was first starting up. So we’ve really been trying to spread awareness, and just let people know that our food pantry is no questions asked. You just come in, you get what you need, and we’re just really trying to focus on no student hungry,” said McFadden.

As part of the fourth annual NC Collegiate Hunger Challenge to address food insecurity, UNCW hosted a food drive on Wednesday from 8am until halftime at the UNCW men’s basketball game in Trask Coliseum.

The collected food will go to the “Hawks Harvest” pantry, and the school that wins of the 15 competing schools will receive up to $10,00 for its campus food pantry.