Husky Harvest, a food pantry at UConn’s main campus in Storrs, opened Monday.
School officials said it will serve thousands of students who do not have a meal plan or a full cupboard.
It is available to anyone with a UConn ID, but it is geared to students living off-campus who are not required to have a meal plan and might not have regular access to nutritious food, according to Michael White, executive director of dining services, says.
It is located at the 600-square-foot former convenience store in the Charter Oak Apartments Community Center and there is a bus stop nearby, off Discovery Drive.
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“We wanted a location that would service not only the undergraduate population, but the graduate students, faculty, staff, essentially anyone with a UConn ID,” White said in a statement. “That had a lot to do with how we talked about locations.”
Husky Harvest pantries have also opened at the regional campuses in recent months.
Campuses have made available simple recipes that use ingredients typically found on the shelves and with funding from the Undergraduate Student Government White hopes to offer personal care items, like Husky Harvest in Stamford does, which include shampoo and deodorant.
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“I don’t want to get into the scenario – and I know it happens in life – that someone has to decide between putting food on their plate and taking a shower,” White said. “That’s a very challenging decision for anybody to make. Just being able to take a shower sometimes can really reset your wellbeing.”
White expects to take donations from the public but plans to operate this semester solely with Connecticut Foodshare support.
Contributions to the UConn Storrs Campus Food Insecurity Fund at the UConn Foundation can be made online.
