Thanks to the $198,000+ in gifts from the community last year, 110,000 pounds of food is available for students with scarcity.
This Giving Tuesday—a global day of giving taking place on December 3, 2024—MSU is encouraging Spartans to support the MSU Student Food Bank as well as other resources that benefit students.
The food bank depends on financial support from annual donors to provide services year-round to more than 7,000 students, visiting scholars and their families experiencing food insecurity or limited food availability and variety. Last year on Giving Tuesday, 78 donors gave $6,380. A gift of $100 can buy approximately 175 pounds of food, so each donation makes a significant impact.
On a bulletin board at the food bank, numerous notes fill the space with messages of gratitude from students for the support they received which allowed them to keep food on their table, to eat healthier, alleviate some financial stress and focus on school.
I’m so grateful for the food bank! Relying on student loans to live is so tough and the food bank really helps out when money is tight.
You guys are the real examples of Spartan spirit, which I shall leave and carry on in the future.
Thanks to your help, we can afford our son’s childcare!!!
Attending school with two toddlers and a baby on the way has been the best challenge. You have been a bridge to hope.
Many people are surprised to learn that hunger can affect college students, according to Kristin Traskie, executive director of University Health and Wellbeing (UHW) Health Promotion, Engagement, Accessibility, and Accommodations. “They often assume if someone can afford college, they can afford food, but this is a misconception,” she says.
In reality, 25% of undergraduate students and 14% of graduate students reported experiencing food insecurity, according to a 2024 survey conducted by UHW.
Founded in 1993, the MSU Student Food Bank was the first in the nation to be run by students, for students.
Through a relationship with the Greater Lansing Food Bank, food can be purchased for later distribution at a low cost, allowing the food bank to make the most of every dollar. Students can receive vegetables, fruits, soups, pasta, rice, various proteins, cereal and most often—bread and milk.
The service is a lifeline for keeping many students on the path to completing their degrees. As one student put it: “Without the MSU Food Bank, I would not have been able to continue going to school here.”
More information about the MSU Student Food Bank and Giving Tuesday can be found online, and gifts can be made through the website.
For more information on ways to make a significant impact on students, contact Associate Director of Development, Office of Philanthropy for Undergraduate Education, Danielle Matlick at matlickd@msu.edu or by calling (517) 353-2116.
