Since March, the University of Connecticut Storrs campus has offered students, staff and faculty the opportunity to access free food and toiletries throughout the semester.
Husky Harvest partners with Connecticut Foodshare with a goal of addressing food insecurity across all UConn campuses, their website says.
Anyone with a UConn ID can visit their campus’s Husky Harvest location during hours of operation. In Storrs, the pantry is located in the Charter Oaks Community Center and is open Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Since the Storrs location opened, UConn Dining Services have worked to better the program in two primary ways, Department of Dining Services Executive Director Michael D. White explained.
“We have continued to pursue additional sponsorship opportunities with organizations that are willing to provide food items or monetary support,” White said. “From the service side we have seen consistent use of the space and even had success opening the location one day per week this summer. The volume of participation has grown slightly since we opened in March.”
The pantry is stocked with both perishable and non-perishable items, along with toiletries. Most of the items that the Husky Harvest Storrs location receives are through donations from the Midwest Food Bank New England, Foodshare CT, Price Chopper and Big Y.
This past Monday, Paige Bueckers visited the pantry, as a significant monetary donation through her partnership with Chegg was made to the program.
“We are honored to partner with Paige to help reduce food insecurity for students,” Chegg CEO and President Dan Rosensweig said in a UConn Today article.
“Caring for the needs of students – inside and outside the classroom – is at the core of Chegg’s mission. Through our research, advocacy, and funding of local organizations, we remain committed to combating food insecurity among college students.”
No individual donations are accepted at the pantry, White said. However, a new element to the Husky Harvest Storrs location is expected to occur this semester.
“We are planning for a pop-up panty in the center of campus this semester,” White said.
To learn more about Husky Harvest and the future of the program students, faculty and staff can look on the program’s website or on UConn social media accounts.