College food pantry helps fill need on campus

  • Vivian Duran, 23, of Houston and a Chemical Engineering major at Lone Star College - Montgomery who plans to finish her degree at Lamar University, volunteers at the school's food pantry between classes on Oct. 16, 2015. The food pantry is the system's first and is an official partner agency with the Montgomery County Food Bank. (Photo by Jerry Baker/Freelance)4 Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance

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With the cost of tuition, books and fees continuing to rise, the pursuit of a college diploma for some can come at the expense of basic necessities, like food.

Lone Star College-Montgomery is taking a stance on food insecurity by opening its on-campus food pantry in partnership with the Montgomery County Food Bank.

"We find that students can't learn if they're hungry. And if you're worried about your children eating, then you're not going to learn," said Karen Buckman, professor of psychology at LSC-Montgomery and a faculty board member of the pantry.

Nearly 12 percent of Montgomery County residents are impoverished, according to 2009 to 2013 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Some of those residents attend Lone Star College-Montgomery, the only community college serving the county.

While many students work full- or part-time jobs to pay for tuition, textbooks, housing and other necessities on a shoestring budget, most are not eligible for food stamps if they're enrolled in college at least half time, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

So after students in the Psychology Club and Psi Beta rallied their peer student organizations to pitch in during a canned food drive that raised nearly 21,000 cans for the county food bank, nutrition and psychology double-major Shelby Story asked Buckman about starting the college's own food pantry.

"I like it when people are coming in, are getting food and are using the tools that we have for them," Story said. "School is hard enough. ...We don't want people to be starving, trying to go through school. You can't study when you're hungry."

The former office turned pantry required minor renovations, primarily ripping up the carpet to lay linoleum before it could pass inspection from the Montgomery County Environmental Health Services and the county food bank. Next, students and staff volunteers at the college had to undergo training before the pantry was ready to hand out its initial food bank shipment of 40 boxes.

"It doesn't look like much, but it has taken a lot to get this," Buckman said. "We don't know how much need there will be, but we have been open 12 days, and we have had over 20 people come."

Story worked with Buckman and fellow psychology majors to bring the pantry to fruition. She found an empty office on campus and, when the first shipments of dry goods came from the county food bank, Story and her peers quickly set to work.

David Hok, a psychology and forensic science double major, helped rip open boxes and set up the food pantry, which currently has three shelves full of food like peanut butter, Nutella, cereal, canned meats and vegetables, and more. Both Hok and Story were in the Psychology Club and are currently on the board of the food pantry.

For Hok, the campus food pantry is more than just a way to help hungry strangers. His friend, an LSC-M student too, was forced to live out of his car with his wife. The two struggled to scrape by, showering at friend's homes and sleeping in the last bit of home they owned. Although Hok wished the pantry had come sooner when his friend was still in need, he's glad that other struggling students now have a place to come in an emergency.

"That's when they really needed money for food, and they didn't have any money for food. They had to work to get whatever money they could just for food," Hok said about his friend. "If they had something available at that time, he could have gotten food. He could have gotten at least some help. It's better than suffering out there."

Asking for help can be hard for those who are struggling to scrape by. LSC-Montgomery Faculty Counselor and professor Rachel Trackey knows the importance of proper nutrition for students, but she also knows that some students may be too embarrassed to admit they need help.

"I think a very important piece that has been stressed in the training is confidentiality. Dignity, respect and confidentiality are critical because we want people to know it's a safe environment," Trackey said. "It's something that we hold very closely to us, and that is something really hammered in the training."

The on-campus food pantry, which opened in late August, is restricted to students, faculty and staff at LSC-Montgomery and has limited hours. Individuals seeking assistance can stock up twice a month. The level of need is determined after filling out a one-page application, which is required as a partner agency with the Montgomery County Food Bank.

In the end, the food pantry is one way the college is breaking down the barriers to graduation. Along with each bag of food comes a stapled double-column list of agencies that run the gamut from psychiatric counseling and debt counseling to housing and health care. Now, the hard part is getting students to come.

"That's the hardest part, walking in through the door," Hok said.

Want to know more?

The LSC-Montgomery on-campus food pantry is open to students, staff and faculty who are struggling with groceries. The pantry is in Room 101 of Building C and is open Mondays and Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. The food pantry accepts donations of dry and canned goods. Information about donating can be directed to Professor of Psychology Karen Buckman at karen.h.buckman@lonestar.edu.

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