As demand at the on-campus food pantry has surged in recent months, students, faculty, and staff have rallied with donations of groceries, toiletries, and other essentials.
In September and October alone, Thea’s Pantry recorded 1,298 visits from hundreds of students. Comparatively, it tracked 927 visits across the entire previous academic year. The increase in demand follows uncertainty around SNAP benefits, which provide funds for food to low-income individuals and their families.
As demand has surged, so has support for the pantry. In September, it received 1,857 pounds of donated food, while in October, it took in 4,792 pounds.
Now, with the holidays right around the corner, there are many ways for the campus community to support students experiencing food insecurity. Donations to the pantry, located on the first floor of the Student Center in room 113, can be made in a variety of ways:
- Items purchased via Thea’s Amazon Wish List will ship directly to the pantry.
- School supplies, personal care items, menstruation hygiene supplies, and cleaning products can be dropped off at the pantry.
- Non-perishable food items, such as pasta, ramen, applesauce, hot chocolate, cereal, Pop Tarts, gluten-free food, chips, condiments, spices, canned soups/broths, and canned chicken can be dropped off at the pantry.
- Paper/plastic bags, used as shopping bags for students, can also be dropped off at the pantry.
- Financial contributions can be made online.
“Thea’s Pantry is such an important resource on campus,” said SGA member Brandol M. Ogando Saladin ’26, who serves as the university’s Student Trustee. “It plays a crucial role in supporting students who are struggling financially or experiencing food insecurity. Some students also use the pantry to help support their families, showing how far its impact reaches beyond the campus community.”
Open 40-plus hours a week, Thea’s Pantry’s is a partner to the Worcester County Food Bank, and receives donations from students, faculty, alumni, and staff. In addition to food, it provides personal hygiene products and other everyday items visitors might need.
Research by Professor Adam Saltsman in Urban Studies found that in 2023, 39% of students reported experiencing some level of food insecurity in the 30 days prior to being surveyed, with 17% facing very low food security. He found students who are lower income, first generation, LGBTQIA+, and Black and Latine are disproportionately more likely to face food insecurity.
Thea’s Pantry provisions are crucial to “supplementing students’ weekly grocery/toiletry purchases,” said Kristie McNamara, director of the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. Given the increased demand of late, support of the pantry is especially crucial right now, she added.
In recent years, alumni and donors have also been instrumental in helping students who face food insecurity. In 2024, the Class of 1969 started the “Sponsor a Shelf” endowment fund in celebration of its 55th reunion. This fund enables the pantry to purchase the most requested and needed items for the student community each year, addressing food insecurity in a thoughtful, strategic way.
Elsewhere, David Bedard ’74 and his wife, Linda, established the Bedard Family Meal Plan Support Fund to provide students with meal vouchers to use on campus. Likewise, the Allen & Ruth Rubin ’52 Meal Plan Support Fund provides students with meal vouchers and grocery store gift cards.
Worcester State also has a “Swipe It Forward” program, through which students with meal plans can donate meals in the campus dining hall via swipes from their ID cards.
The university additionally benefits from state support in its fight against hunger. Just this week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded nearly $500,000 to 30 colleges and universities in Massachusetts for this purpose. Of that, Worcester State is receiving nearly $16,000 in support of its various efforts to combat food insecurity.
Named for Thea Aschkenase ’07, a Holocaust survivor and life-long advocate against hunger, the pantry was founded in 2019. This past January, it relocated to an expanded space on the first floor of the Student Center, providing increased access and visibility for the campus community. Last academic year, 8,550 pounds of food were distributed through the pantry.
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