By: Brianna Metsger ‘19, copy editor
A new resource pantry for students celebrated its grand opening on Monday, Jan. 21, as a kick-off to the Martin Luther King Jr. Week of Service at LVC.
The Dutchmen Pantry is a small makeshift pantry in the basement of Frederic K. Miller Chapel, accessible to students with food insecurity, which can be defined as a lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable and nutritious food. The purpose of this new resource is to combat food insecurity by giving students access to the basic resource of food.
Jen Liedtka, the Service and Volunteerism Coordinator at LVC, told attendees of the grand opening that though there is yet to be sufficient data relating to food insecurity on our campus, “enough students have expressed challenges related to food access that action in the form of a modest pantry needed to happen now, as we continue to grow our understanding of the extent of this need,” Liedtka said.
The Pantry comes at no additional cost to The College. Student organizations, sports teams or faculty groups may sponsor the Pantry for one month by collecting and donating supplies. The recent outpour of interest in this opportunity has ensured that the pantry will be stocked for well-past the spring semester. In addition, Metz will take items leftover from dining hall meals to package and donate to the Pantry.
“By Metz doing that, it’s doing two things: creating access to food for students while also preventing food waste,” Liedtka said.
Many LVC staff, students, community members and alumni have been instrumental in the creation of the Pantry. Members of the planning team include Jen Liedtka; Austin Cassatt, junior biology major; Tatianna Garcia, senior exercise science major; Caitlin Lenker, Acting Director of Residential Life; Jonas Fester, head baseball coach; Alice Rulapaugh, Senior Assistant for Student Affairs; Renata Williams, Assistant Dean for Engagement and Inclusion and Director of Intercultural Affairs & Inclusive Programming; Tim Hartlieb, Metz Operation Manager and Bill Allman, Metz Resident District Manager.
Natalie Taylor-Kratzer, ‘02, currently works as a financial consultant at a firm that will reach out to support initiatives like the Dutchmen Pantry. Taylor-Kratzer helped the Pantry secure a Thrivent Action Team Grant, which funded the startup for the Pantry. Shila Ulrich, ‘05, the Director of The Caring Cupboard, a food pantry in Palmyra, donated some single-serve food items and a refrigerator, which also helped the Pantry in its startup.
One of the many goals of the Pantry is to allow students to feel welcome by advocating for their privacy. There will always be an LVC staff member overseeing the pantry during open hours rather than a student volunteer, and the Pantry is located in a location that is central to campus but secluded enough to allow discretion.
“When a basic need like access to food exists in a community that we’re a part of, we have a responsibility to do something about it,” Liedtka said.
Any LVC student in need may access the Pantry by visiting the Fellowship Lounge during the Pantry’s open hours, Mondays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m., or contacting Jen Liedtka at liedtka@lvc.edu.