Lincoln, Neb. — A ribbon cutting will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2, to celebrate the opening of the new East Campus Husker Pantry in Filley Hall.
The ribbon cutting, scheduled for 3:30 p.m., will include comments from IANR and UNL leaders, and will take place as part of the East Campus tailgate prior to the Northwestern game. The event is open to the public. Anyone who attends is encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the pantry.
UNL’s Husker Pantry has supported Nebraska students since 2017. Husker Pantry has partnered with CASNR and IANR to open a second location on East Campus. This new location will give the more than 150 students who depend on Husker Pantry each week the ability to access supplies on both campuses.
Food insecurity is a problem for students at campuses across the country, and UNL is no exception. According to an April 2021 survey, nearly 35 percent of UNL students have no emergency fund, leaving them vulnerable should an unexpected expense occur. In addition, 30 percent of UNL students tell us that during the past year they have worried about whether or not they have enough food. Plus, 10 percent of UNL students cut the size of their meals or skip meals because they don't have enough money for food.
Any UNL student can "shop" at either pantry location and take the items they need. An array of non-perishable food items is available for students, as well as hygiene and cleaning items, school supplies, and fresh produce.
In addition, Dr. Gary Sullivan and the Cactus Cares Foundation have joined together to provide fresh ground beef from the Department of Animal Science meat science group to both Husker Pantry locations.
The pantries depend on donations from campus and community partners to keep the shelves stocked. Donations of pantry items or funds to help purchase pantry items will be accepted (checks may be made payable to the University of Nebraska Foundation, fund #01140700). For a list of needed items, please visit https://pantry.unl.edu/#donate.
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