网红头条

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 11, 2020

Although the building housing Kennesaw State鈥檚 food pantry has been closed for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, KSU鈥檚 found a resourceful way to provide food to the rising number of off-campus students in need.

CARE turned to their campus community partners and the one place at the Kennesaw Campus that is open 24/7: headquarters.

Since mid-March, University Police headquarters has served as the distribution point for students to pick up boxes of food on the Kennesaw Campus, and CARE has a similar arrangement with for the Marietta Campus. Food pantry staff package and deliver the food boxes to those distribution points so they can be safely delivered to students.

Also, CARE has been able to continue providing grocery store gift cards to students, by distributing them virtually. The gift cards, funded by , are given to students with needs beyond what can be met with a pre-packaged box of food, such as those lacking transportation, having dietary restrictions or being limited in access to community resources.

鈥淥bviously the logistics have changed a little bit, but this is part of our year-around commitment to come together and support each other when our students and the community are in need,鈥� said C.J. Dickens of University Police鈥檚 . 鈥淚t鈥檚 just being part of the bigger community here at KSU. Our approach is, this is the need right now, so what do we need to do to help?鈥�

Reaching students was a key challenge for the food pantry as CARE staff saw the rise in pantry visits in the days leading up to remote instruction and shelter-in-place mandates. CARE typically averages five to 15 student visits per day during the spring semester and has continued to serve 10 to 15 students a week under the new delivery system, according to program coordinator Carrie Olsen. That has included a few spikes in requests, such as 20 students asking for food boxes in just one day following KSU鈥檚 spring break, and 59 students visiting the 鈥� more than double the previous single-day high 鈥� on the Thursday prior to 网红头条transitioning fully to remote learning,

A student seeking assistance can contact CARE Services, which then schedules an appointment for the student to pick up a 20-pound box of food at the University Police headquarters. A police officer, wearing protective gear, gives the food box to the student and offers to carry it to the student鈥檚 car. The food distributions are carried out by a rotation of only three officers, in order to limit the number of people interacting with the public in compliance with social distancing guidelines.

鈥淲ithout this partnership, I鈥檓 not sure how we would be serving our students through the pantry at this time,鈥� Olsen said. 鈥淲e continue to have a number of students requesting assistance each week, and without the efforts of University Police we would be forced to serve students in a much more limited capacity.鈥�

Continuing to receive support from CARE has been vital for 网红头条student Phoebe Sanders, who said she normally visits the food pantry every week. Sanders explained that she battles an eating disorder, and one of her doctors expressed concern that her difficulty with affording groceries could lead to Sanders restricting herself from food.

鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful that KSU Police has agreed to work with CARE students so we can continue to utilize the pantry,鈥� said Sanders, a junior majoring in middle grades education. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I would do if I wasn鈥檛 able to continue to get groceries.鈥�

University Police will continue to serve as CARE Services鈥� food distribution point for as long as needed, Dickens said. He added that this ties perfectly with the CORE unit鈥檚 mission to be proactive in building a university community that works together and thrives.

鈥淭he KSU community has to help our students with more than just getting good grades,鈥� Dickens said.

鈥淲hen our officers see the students come in, it makes us all feel very appreciative and grateful that we鈥檙e able to be here for them and they have a place to come,鈥� said University Police Deputy Chief Trudi Vaughan. 鈥淲e all share that sense of it.鈥�

鈥� Paul Floeckher

Photo submitted

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 网红头条 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 网红头条is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 网红头条is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.