Hunger is a common issue that lives among many college students. For many students it is a daily struggle to make time to eat and for others it is difficult to even afford food.
The Penn State Abington community recently became aware of this issue and has developed a new food service, designed to provide students, who are struggling, with nutritious snacks. Dr. Fran Pahlevani, chair of the Student Affairs Committee, is coordinating activities involved with LionShare.
She said, “Of course we are mindful of providing healthy food. Our lecturer in Nutrition, Ms. Wendy Richman, is going to work with Dr. Gary Calore’s students from the CIVCM 211 class to educate them in food selection. The students will then put together a list of food items and their nutritional value.”
Curt Heintzelman, lecturer in Communication Arts & Sciences, won the contest to name this food service, deciding on the title LionShare.
Faculty and students both brought this food insecurity issue to Student Affairs. “The food problem was confirmed by students through a survey Dr. Jake Benfield created,” Pahlevani explained.
John Thompson, one of the coordinators, shared that he learned about the seriousness of food security on campus when Gina Kaufman and José Rodriguez brought it to their attention at an Abington College Faculty Senate Student Affairs Committee meeting.
Thompson said, “We also learned that faculty and staff were providing opportunities for students to obtain free food, whether in their offices or elsewhere, and an increasing number of students were using these resources. The food insecurity was addressed back in 2014 and faculty instantly began to research ways to address students’ hunger.”
LionShare will provide canned goods, dry goods, fruits and vegetables, generously donated from various sources, including the Penn State Abington community. Money that is collected will go towards purchasing food from local grocery stores.
Pahlevani said, “LionShare hopes that as the foundation continues to grow, grocery stores will begin to donate food as well.”
Being a part of the Penn State Abington community is the only requirement needed to receive food from LionShare. The community trusts that only students truly in need of food will show up.
LionShare will be located in the basement of the Rydal Building.
“The private location for LionShare was identified with help from the college’s Chief Operations Officer, Terry Roman,” Pahlevani said. The design of the room is being developed by John Thompson.
LionShare is due to open sometime in March. A specific date has not been released yet, due to other important components of this program that are still in progress.
“The ultimate goal was certainly the development of a food pantry, and on behalf of the faculty I can say that we are very grateful for the work of Gina Kaufman and the Office of Student Affairs, José Rodriguez, John Nguyen and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to develop and implement the food pantry, and to Terry Roman, who found the space for the pantry, and to Dr. Damian Fernandez for his vision to ensure we are servicing our students in every way possible,” Thompson said.
LionShare hopes to bring comfort and relief to hungry students in our community. Pahlevani said she is personally grateful for the outpouring of support by the Penn State community, from Chancellor Fernandez to the committee and students who are working on the project.
She said, “In the end we hope that every student and person in need, who is part of our community, finds relief from the incredible pressures that food insecurity brings. Moreover, that everyone in the community feels the warmth of what it means to be part of Penn State Abington.”
jxb193 says
Way to go Abbie!!! What a wonderful depiction of the incredible work of the students and faculty members in creating LionShare! We Are…. Penn State Proud!!
cte105 says
Beautiful article! What a wonderful resource! We’re all stronger when we help each other; things like this make me feel Penn State Proud.