Empty Stomachs

Samantha Arriozola is a volunteer for The Open Seat, the new food pantry inside the UW’s Student Activity Center. M.P. King/Wisconsin State Journal

Stress for many college students can mean pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper. But for others, it can mean not having food to eat.

Food insecurity is a reality at the UW. To help combat the problem, a food pantry opened in February inside campus’s Student Activity Center. The pantry received funding from student segregated fees to cover staff and operational costs. But it relies on donation bins at locations around campus — including residence halls and offices — since rules prohibit student organizations from using these fees to purchase food.

“When people get to a Big Ten university like the UW, they assume everybody automatically turns middle class once they’re here, which is not the case,” says Samantha Arriozola x’17, a food pantry volunteer. “Being food insecure means that you still have to worry about your meals, if you’re going to eat, what you’re going to eat on a daily basis.”

Published in the Summer 2016 issue