UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Knights Helping Knights Pantry recently opened its second location of its on-site food pantry at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus. The endeavor realizes a personal mission of Rosen staff members and represents the next step in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 efforts to fight food insecurity.
The new pantry is housed within a 19-square-foot space inside of the foyer of Rosen 麻豆精品 S檚 Darden Auditorium. It will be open to students on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as well as by appointment, via email at PineapplePantry@ucf.edu. The pantry will offer non-perishable food items and basic hygiene goods, resources that the UCF staff members who have been leading this effort say will make a difference for students.
麻豆精品 S淲e want to build an environment where students feel comfortable coming to us with their needs. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Wendy McKnight, UCF staff member
麻豆精品 S淪imply knowing that these goods are here for them will make a major impact in how our students perform in classes and how they go about their everyday lives here at UCF, 麻豆精品 S� says Wendy McKnight, a UCF staff member who has been spearheading the effort to open a pantry on the campus in the heart of the tourism industry for a number of years. 麻豆精品 S淲e want to build an environment where students feel comfortable coming to us with their needs. This is our latest step in building that environment. 麻豆精品 S�
Witnessing how a series of hurricanes in 2016 left many Rosen students temporarily food insecure, McKnight presented the idea of an additional pantry right on campus to Rosen 麻豆精品 S檚 administration, reached out to staff members at the main campus 麻豆精品 S檚 pantry to learn their day-to-day operations, and worked closely with officials in UCF Facilities Operations to secure the best space.
For now, McKnight will conduct the operations for the food pantry in addition to her regular duties in the Office of Student Services. Efforts are currently in progress to recruit student volunteers to perform the day-to-day work of the pantry under McKnight 麻豆精品 S檚 supervision.
麻豆精品 S淔rom the beginning, the university viewed the concept of a food pantry on Rosen 麻豆精品 S檚 campus as significant for our students to realize their fullest potential at UCF, 麻豆精品 S� says Genyth Travis 麻豆精品 S�17MS, a senior assistant director for Undergraduate Admissions and graduate of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 master 麻豆精品 S檚 in hospitality and tourism management. 麻豆精品 S淚f you 麻豆精品 S檙e a student, and you 麻豆精品 S檙e hungry, and you 麻豆精品 S檙e stressed out about where your next meal is coming from, how can we expect you to be academically successful? 麻豆精品 S�
Working closely with McKnight, Travis played an integral role in shepherding the food pantry to fruition, and the two will continue their partnership to shape its vision for the future.
麻豆精品 S淔or many of our students, especially those without vehicles, making their way to the main campus 麻豆精品 S檚 pantry is simply not a practical option 麻豆精品 S� says Travis. 麻豆精品 S淭he fact that these resources will be right down the hall will play a major difference in our student 麻豆精品 S檚 lives. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭he fact that these resources will be right down the hall will play a major difference in our student 麻豆精品 S檚 lives. 麻豆精品 S� – Genyth Travis 麻豆精品 S�17MS, UCF staff member
In addition to conducting its own donation efforts, the Rosen Pantry will share resources with the main campus 麻豆精品 S檚 Knights Helping Knights Pantry, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. Located in Ferrell Commons, the pantry was established by a group of LEAD Scholars as a class project during the Great Recession. A member of the College and University Food Bank Alliance, the pantry started with a simple mission: Make sure students never have to choose between paying for food or paying for an education.
In 2019 alone, the main campus 麻豆精品 S檚 pantry saw more than 42,000 visits by UCF students and more than 70,000 lbs of food were distributed. Since 2013 麻豆精品 S� the pantry 麻豆精品 S檚 earliest recorded data 麻豆精品 S� there have been nearly 145,000 visits by students. Last year, UCF student workers logged more than 5,000 volunteer hours.
The Knights Helping Knights Pantry receives contributions from a wide range of university partners, including fresh produce from the UCF Arboretum and Volunteer UCF, which funnels student staffers into the pantry. Additionally, the pantry has established donation partnerships with local entities, including Mercy Ministries, Publix Super Market at Town Park, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Walmart.
麻豆精品 S淔or more than a decade, the Knights Helping Knights Pantry has worked to provide much needed sustenance and household necessities for students who happen to have fallen onto hard times. The growth of the pantry has been a university-wide effort that speaks to the best of what UCF represents, 麻豆精品 S� says Jeannie Kiriwas 麻豆精品 S�05 麻豆精品 S�07MA, an associate director at the UCF Student Union, who has overseen operations for Knights Helping Knights since 2015. 麻豆精品 S淲e look forward to a strong partnership with the Rosen pantry, sharing our ideas and resources for the benefit of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 student body. 麻豆精品 S�
