It’s 6:30pm on a Wednesday in September, and a student walks down the stairs to the garden level of the MSU Union.
It’s a challenging time of year for this student. They’re busy, and, at this moment, they’re also hungry. But the price of groceries has gone up, and between rent, utilities, and the added expenses of starting a new school year, they don't have enough to make ends meet.
They heard there’s a place here called Spartan Shelf that might be able to help them out, but this is a new experience, and they’re nervous.
They wonder, ‘Will it be awkward? Will people ask questions? Will I have to prove that I don't have food, or that I don’t have enough money to buy some?’
They walk through the doors and are surprised to find themselves in what looks like a cozy little grocery store.
A kind Spartan greets them, gives them the lay of the land, and asks, “Do you need help finding anything specific?”
The student’s shoulders relax. Their confidence comes back. They smile back and shake their head. “No, I think I’ve got this,” they say. “Just looking for a few things to get me through until Friday.”
When it was established by students who wanted to tackle hunger among their peers in 1993, the MSU Food Bank and Basic Needs Program (formerly known as the MSU Student Food Bank) was the first campus-based food pantry in the United States.
Since then, it has grown—in its offerings, and in the number of people it is able to support each year—thanks to the unwavering support of donors.
This year alone, 2,714 donors gave more than $191,000 to support the food bank, but its universal appeal and impact has made it a popular cause to give to for decades.
In fact, annual donors have contributed nearly $2.3M in monetary support since 2003, and even more in donations of actual food items, meal cards for campus dining halls, grocery gift cards, and goods from the Food Bank’s ongoing wish list of most-needed items.
The cumulative support of all those gifts, over all those years, is part of what helped this new satellite location of the MSU Food Bank (now known as Spartan Shelf – Union) come to life.
“For more than three decades, the food bank has relied on the generosity of donors to open its doors and keep them open,” says Jaimie Hutchison, associate director of engagement with University Health and Wellbeing.
“Now part of our expanded MSU Food Bank and Basic Needs Program, the Spartan Shelf–Union exists because of that generosity. Your support keeps our shelves full and allows us to provide essential items we cannot obtain at lower prices through our food bank network.”
And the impact is about more than just the number of dollars or the number of pounds of food. It’s about de-stigmatizing need; re-centering students’ focus on their studies and their extracurriculars, rather than their struggles; and providing a soft landing during hard times.
“Thanks to donors, MSU can adapt quickly, meet emerging needs, and create innovative ways to ensure Spartans have the resources they need to thrive,” Jaimie adds.
Centrally located in a building that is familiar to all students, Spartan Shelf – Union does just that. It is easy to find, highly accessible, and has extended daily and weekend hours to accommodate students’ busy schedules.
It's meant to feel like a grocery store, stocked with food to meet a variety of dietary needs, personal care items, and school supplies. And it employs a “self-shop” model that gives visitors more personal choice and control over their selections, which some students may prefer to the “order and pickup” model that the main Spartan Shelf location in Olin Health Center continues to offer.
The student from the beginning of this story picked up exactly what they needed on their visit to Spartan Shelf that night, but the material items only scratched the surface of what they carried with them as they walked back up the Union stairs and into their busy evening.
They carried relief, renewed focus, and, most importantly, the feeling of being uplifted by their university community, and thousands of donors who truly care about them.
LEARN MORE about support for the MSU Food Bank and Basic Needs Program by contacting Senior Associate Director for Student Life and Engagement Danielle Matlick at matlickd@msu.edu or visit the MSU Food Bank CrowdPower page.