Food Pantry at Iowa

I am excited to announce the completion of my Student Impact Grant service project for this spring! This project means a lot to me as I have been with the Food Pantry at Iowa throughout my entire career at the University of Iowa. My service project focuses on expanding essential resources to the five Multicultural and International Student Support (MISSE) areas across campus in the form of a Pop-Up Pantry. Each Pop-Up Pantry will be stocked by the Food Pantry at Iowa at the beginning of each semester, and will act as “take what you need, leave what you can” resources for students in need of support. I am even more grateful that, thanks to an additional grant from ENGIE Iowa and Iowa City Elks Lodge, each Pop-Up Pantry will be funded for the next 2 years! Special thanks to my mentor Steph Beecher, past-Pride House Coordinator Emma Welch, Afro-House Coordinator Freddy Sims, LNACC Coordinator Hunter Wienke, APACC Coordinator Kayla Nguyen, and ISSE Coordinator Shuhui Lin, and Brianna Wills, MBA from Engie Iowa, and Wendy Sandersfeld from UI Political Science for all of your support in making this initiative possible! If you are interested in supporting a Pop-Up Pantry, please contact [email protected]!??

On February 14th, our team had the privilege of joining Feeding America and Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) Food Reservoir for Fight Hunger Day on the Hill at the Iowa State Capitol. We engaged with legislators to address pressing concerns regarding food insecurity, focusing on the perspective of our community here at the University of Iowa. Thank you to Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, Senator Janice G Weiner, and Representative David Jacoby for taking to the time to hear about these important issues.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Perioperative UI Staff Council at the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HOSPITALS &CLINCS / University of Iowa Health Care for generously raising and donating $2,665 to the Food Pantry at Iowa through their 2024 Silent Auction Fundraiser and Share the Love campaign. The unwavering commitment to supporting our community at the University of Iowa is deeply appreciated and will undoubtably create a lasting impact. A special thank you to Molly Kucera for her exceptional organizational efforts in making this donation possible.

We are excited to announce the first GoldRush for the Food Pantry at Iowa, a crucial milestone in our mission to fight hunger and improve food security on our campus. In the past year, we have seen an 89% increase in visits (up almost 2,000 more visits from the 2021 academic year). The growing demand of our services highlights the pressing need for support from community partners like you.? ? Join us by donating in the month-long campaign to combat food insecurity on campus! February 1-29, 2024, we're rallying our UI community to make a lasting impact on campus well-being. Your Valentine contribution will showcase your name or the name of a cherished individual, symbolizing the care and compassion within our UI community.? ? Your generous donations will ensure that our food pantry remains stocked with essentials, providing vital support to students and staff facing hunger. Let's work together to nourish minds and bodies, and to foster a thriving and caring campus community. ? Every contribution counts in our mission to alleviate food insecurity. ($1=6 meals for the UI Food Pantry)? Donate at:?https://lnkd.in/gv-Zp2Uw ? Please share widely!??

This past Saturday, the Food Pantry at Iowa hosted our first, semi-annual Volunteer Appreciation and Community Event planned by the lovely, Faith Surface. We had an amazing turn out that was like never before for one of our volunteer events — around 40 individuals attended! Not only that, but Eddy from Mesa Pizza in Iowa City donated SIX LARGE pizzas, Lindsey from Molly's Cupcakes in Iowa City donated THREE DOZEN mini cupcakes, and Rykira Robinson from Target in Downtown Iowa City donated plates, napkins, cutlery, salads, sodas, and more. It was genuinely a wonderful and tasty event, and we are so grateful for community business members who showed up for us to make this possible. We were also honored to have some of our community partners attend: GROW: JOHNSON COUNTY! It was great to see volunteers connect with one of our most beloved partners and help them put a few faces to a name. Thank you to our wonderful, graduating senior, Faith Surface for making this happen. Thank you to Yunseo Ki, Erica Perez, Ezinne Okey, and Conrad Gerhardt for your support of this event. None of this would be possible without all of you. We cannot wait to see how next semester’s event goes!

Check out this KGAN CBS 2 news story featuring our team members Steph Beecher and Yunseo Ki: https://lnkd.in/gpmtYKcJ Here are some excerpts from the interview with Kaelei W.: "Our mission is just to get people nutritious, multiculturally relevant foods, and also foods they enjoy. As a student, the financial demands are definitely high, and so we want to levitate that is any any way we can," Beecher said. "Our slogan here is 'from our pantry to yours,' and so that kind of mentality is about the cross-community support that we get here. I think that we have amazing community support and amazing networks of people that come together to be able to build what we have here, that's why we have everything that we have here," Ki said.

We love Kimberly Chexnayder White!— Kimmi is wonderful supporter of the Food Pantry at Iowa and our university community.

This was absolutely amazing!!!! We cannot thank you guys enough!

Some of our wonderful team was featured in an article for the Daily Iowan recently...check it out below! They talk about how the increased visibility and accessibility in our new space has impacted their clientele, about the hard work student staff put in, and about so much more. This team is the greatest team! Yunseo Ki, Faith Surface, and Steph Beecher

Hello everyone! We're thrilled to share an exciting news story that we had the privilege of being a part of, featuring our dedicated team members Steph Beecher, Yunseo Ki, and our valued clients, Ying Wang and Oriette D'Angelo. The story, covered by Vanessa Miller from The Gazette | Cedar Rapids, highlights the essential role of food pantries in our communities and the growing importance of accessibility in addressing food insecurity. In a world where food insecurity remains a significant concern, food pantries play an irreplaceable role. They don't just provide nourishment but also offer hope and support to countless individuals and families. As we work to address this critical issue, the focus on making food pantries more accessible has grown considerably. Steph Beecher, our dedicated Basic Needs Coordinator, is a true advocate for the students at the University of Iowa. She tirelessly champions their well-being, ensuring that they have the support they need. Ying Wang and Oriette D'Angelo, the clients who were featured in this article, serve as living proof of the positive impact our Food Pantry has on students striving to succeed. Their experiences highlight how our pantry empowers them to focus on their education. Yunseo Ki, one of our basic needs managers, who shared her inspirational journey, began as a student facing food insecurity. She has since become a strong force in combatting this issue, extending the same helping hand she once needed. Her words resonate with the experiences of numerous individuals who have sought assistance from food pantries during challenging times. In her own words, "It was really like a godsend to be able to go to a food pantry and grab a couple of things I needed." These incredible individuals, along with our team, exemplify the transformative potential of accessible food pantries, supporting students in their pursuit of education. Together, we are making a significant difference in the lives of those we serve. Our team is wholeheartedly dedicated to making a positive impact on our community, ensuring that food pantry services are available to all who need them. We firmly believe that everyone should have access to nutritious food and the support they need during challenging times. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Vanessa Miller and The Gazette for helping us share our story and mission. Together, we can create a meaningful difference in the battle against food insecurity and continue providing hope and support to those in need. Thank you for your unwavering support and for being a part of our journey! #CommunitySupport #FoodInsecurity #MakingAnImpact https://lnkd.in/evUx8c-B