Tiger Pantry executive director says almost one-third of University of Missouri students experience food insecurity
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
It has been almost one year since The Food Bank Market opened its doors on Business Loop 70 in Columbia, and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri said it's seen immense growth over that timeframe.
The Food Bank Spokesperson Katie Adkins said the number of people the market serves is at a 10-year high.
A Feeding America report published earlier this year revealed more than 26,000 people faced food insecurity in Boone County in 2022.
Adkins said one group The Food Bank regularly serves is college students, including many nontraditional students.
Adkins said college hunger is concerning because many students may not know they are food insecure and may not know the resources that are available. She said data showed one in five students had missed meals, but the majority of people didn't want to seek services due to thinking other people needed services more.
"If you're getting to the point where you don't have enough nutritious food to get you through the day, to have a healthy, active lifestyle, The Food Bank Market is here for you and our partner agencies are available, too."
One of The Food Bank's partner agencies is Tiger Pantry on the campus of the University of Missouri. It serves students, faculty, staff and MU Health Care employees who are in need of food.
MU student and Tiger Pantry Executive Director Joshua Donaldson said there were over 7,000 visits to Tiger Pantry last year with more than 1,000 unique patrons. He said the pantry serves around 450 households each month.
"As I talk to people who had experienced these issues and had to choose between accessing mental health care resources or food, or fixing their car or food, or buying a computer that they need for a class or food, that's just not a choice anybody should have to make," Donaldson said.
A June report from the United States Government Accountability Office found 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity in 2020. That marks almost one-fourth of all college students in the country.
Among students experiencing food insecurity, 2.2 million reported eating less or skipping meals because they couldn't afford food.
Donaldson said that number has since grown, saying 2024 student surveys at MU show almost 32% of undergraduate students at the university face food insecurity. He said Tiger Pantry has been registering five new patrons everyday.
He said there is also a growing amount of graduate and international students using Tiger Pantry.
"These students are the busiest on campus," Donaldson said. "They're always doing as much as possible to secure that degree and contribute to our campus community, so it's really important that Tiger Pantry exists and that we really rally behind them and support them in what they need."
Donaldson said the biggest need at Tiger Pantry is cooking oil and international foods such as halal or kosher items.
Tiger Pantry is located on the bottom level of the Hitt Street Parking Garage facing Elm Street. It is open Sundays from 12-2 p.m. and Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Donaldson said people can shop weekly for perishable items and monthly for non-perishable items.
People experiencing food insecurity can also visit The Food Bank Market at 705 Business Loop 70 W in Columbia or visit The Food Bank's website.
