Shelves at the University of Miami Canes Community Food Pantry were nearly empty on Thursday, Sept. 4, and not a single staff member was in the pantry.
The pantry was created by the Student Government Environment & Conservation Organization in 2021 to provide resources for students who may face food insecurity and divert waste from grocery stores. Today, the food pantry, located in Lakeside Village room 1054, relies on donations from Good Samaritan Meals and the UM community. The hours are Monday to Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to Temple University, 3.9 million undergraduates in the U.S. experience food insecurity. Frontiers in Public Health reported that college students who experience food insecurity often have challenges that are significant enough to reduce their likelihood of graduating by 42%…