SNAC attendance breaks all time record
Sept. 4 will be going down in Utah State University history as the Student Nutrition Access Center had a record-breaking attendance day. According to the food pantry’s Instagram, they are accustomed to a busy start each day, but on Sept. 4, the pantry had a total of 511 student visits and a constant flow from open to close.
“We usually get through that first initial rush in 30 or 40 minutes,” said Georgia Wilde, SNAC student director. However, this time they had, “a line of probably 30 or 40 for about three or four hours.”
Wilde said this high attendance was mainly caused by the Third Floor Snack Walk held in the TSC during Weeks of Welcome. The event was a chance for new students to explore the upper level of the student center.
“Because of this event and this rush and being the beginning of the school year, we had a line through the door for probably the full event, from 11 a.m. to even past the 2 p.m. end time,” Wilde said. “It definitely exceeded expectations. We were expecting a real large amount and were preparing for a record-breaking day in general, but we didn’t know how much, and we certainly didn’t expect 511 students to come through.”
Because the SNAC staff was not expecting to outperform their previous record of 378 visits, they had to adjust to keep food on the shelves.
“We went through a lot of our stock and went through most of our produce and most of our milk and eggs and cheese,” Wilde said.
She explained the atmosphere of the event was filled with high energy and expressed how it felt to see so many people coming through the pantry.
“It was just really exciting to have that many people come through and hopefully come back and use SNAC,” Wilde said. “SNAC’s mission is to provide Aggies with a hunger free education. We do that through providing food and providing hygiene products and things like that, so students don’t have to worry about it financially.”
According to Wilde, many students may not utilize the pantry due to fear of a stigma.
“Some people feel like it might be shameful or embarrassing to come and get food, but I think having a really large record- breaking day like this helps show that SNAC is a super normal resource to utilize,” Wilde said.
This year, SNAC’s shelves have been stocked with more than their usuals. Kaiah Thomas, another SNAC student director, explained why this is.
“A $3 student fee that goes towards SNAC was implemented this semester,” Thomas said. “Because of it, we have been able to grow so much.”
This new fee has funded many new products that SNAC is now serving, according to Thomas, including different kinds of fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, and new gluten-free products.
These new additions have sparked excitement within certain SNAC visitors.
“I’ve loved seeing how excited people get when they see we have eggs or cheese or cucumbers or limes,” Thomas said. “It’s wonderful to be able to provide fresh, nutritious food to the students who come through.”
In addition to picking up food from SNAC, visitors can also give back.
“We have several volunteers at SNAC each week helping with things like repackaging recovered food and restocking,” Thomas said. “Volunteers are also a huge help at SNAC‘s Mobile Food Pantry.”
According to Thomas, the mobile pantry happens each month and is an event where attendees provide fresh produce and other perishable foods to those who need it.
This event is open to all community members and Utah State students.
“It feels good to help your fellow students and community members with such a vital need,” Thomas said.