By Ben Markley
From turkey to cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving dinner is an essential part of holiday tradition, but many students on campus are unable to afford these luxuries.
Stu Shafer, chair of the Sociology department, teaches the “Sociology of Food” course, which examines the sociological relationship between people and food. He said that the holidays tend to shift focus onto helping those who struggle with hunger.
“It’s nice to have thoughts about food insecurity or hunger in the holiday season, but remember that people have to eat every day,” Shafer said.
He said some poor students have to rely on fast food and junk food to stay full.
“You may be eating food, but they’re not the right things that your body needs in the right amounts,” Shafer said. “In my perspective, the question of food insecurity is best addressed by dealing with access to good, healthy food.”
He said that food insecurity can definitely be a problem for students at the college.
“Some students may be sacrificing meals in order to pay for other expenses,” Shafer said. “Some people may say that’s just a choice for a college student, and that may be, but the fact is that college students come from different economic backgrounds.”
The food pantry founded by Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) is one source of help for students struggling with food insecurity.
The SIFE food pantry began last year as a way to participate in Campbell Soup Company’s “Let’s Can Hunger” event. Barbara Millard, adviser to SIFE, said the event focused on getting foods to existing local pantries, but SIFE had a different idea when the food court informed them that some students were stealing college food because they couldn’t afford it.
“Why should [SIFE] collect cans and give them out to the community, when there are students in our own community that need food?” Millard said.
SIFE food pantry is currently holding a food drive through the Sam’s Club on W. 135th St. and Antioch Road. Sam’s Club members will be able to donate a whole package of food to the pantry. The drive ends Nov. 30.
Students can donate to the food pantry through the SIFE bins around campus or by bringing food to OCB 272. Students in need can come to OCB 272 and receive assistance without any paperwork or documentation.
Millard said that many students have come to the college in light of unemployment struggles.
“A lot of students are trying to go to school to better themselves, feed their families and study,” Millard said.
Michael Cauble, co-chair of the food pantry project, said that hunger has an impact on that goal.
“When the student’s hungry, they can’t focus on school, which affects their employment, which affects the economy, all down the line,” Cauble said.
Millard said the holidays can especially be a struggle for unemployed students.
“The holidays can be a pretty depressing time if you don’t have a job, and you see everybody else around you celebrating with family, and you can’t put food on the table,” Millard said.
Millard said the food pantry plans to hold other events, including a contest geared toward making healthy, low-cost recipes out of food generally donated to the pantry, such as beans or cornbread mix. Millard said the contest will be held early next semester.
Cauble said that the decision to help students with food insecurity was a no-brainer.
“It’s just kind of common sense, really,” Cauble said. “If you have the income to donate two cans of soup, you should do it just because it’s supporting the youth and the campus as a whole.”
Shafer said helping hungry students is not only moral but also practical.
“It’s historical fact that when people take care of each other, everybody is better off,” Shafer said. “When we find people in our community who are less fortunate and we offer them some of what we have, then it’s good for them, and it’s good for us.”
For more information on the SIFE food pantry, contact Barbara Millard at bmillard1@jccc.edu.
Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.