SNAC packs the pantry

The Student Nutrition Access Center at USU is hosting its first “Pack the Pantry,” a food drive competition that organizers hope becomes an annual event. The 14 participating colleges and organizations are taking donations from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20.  

In the 2023 fall semester, SNAC conducted a study in conjunction with the Transforming Communities Institute in the department of social work which looked at general attitudes about SNAC as well as food security at the USU Logan campus.  

Results of this study indicate that more than 60% of students surveyed experience low or very low food security.  

The United States Department of Agriculture describes low food security as “reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet” but “little or no indication of reduced food intake.” It describes very low food security as “multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.” 

The report was published on Oct. 18. Jonathon Walters, SNAC program coordinator, said about a week later, Kerri Davidson, vice president of institutional affairs, reached out and wanted to see what the school could do about it.  

Walters said food donations have declined recently.  

“Most of our food comes from Cache Food Pantry and Utah Food Bank. If they’re getting less food, then we’re getting less food here as well,” Walters said.  

From the uptick in need for food and the decline in local donations, the need for quick donations was immediate. The Pack the Pantry food drive competition was born.  

Janna Cook, SNAC student director, was involved in the coordination of the competition’s locations. 

“I worked on assigning all the locations and putting together the map of … 29 different locations across USU’s different buildings across campus,” Cook said.   

The map with drop box locations along with other information about the competition can be found on the SNAC website.  

SNAC saw around 4,000 visits in September — the most SNAC has ever seen according to Walters.  

Located on the third floor of the TSC and open to anyone with an A-Number, SNAC serves thousands, but Cook said many still aren’t aware of the resource.  

“Hopefully Pack the Pantry will just spread a little bit of awareness of SNAC and garnish some continued support among especially faculty and staff,” Cook said. 

The prize for donating the most food is the Pack the Pantry championship belt. Cook said the design resembles the SNAC belt they designed last year. 

“We’ll have people take pictures with it, and it’s something people have really loved and enjoyed and always gets people engaged whenever we have it at tabling events,” Cook said. 

Walters said if the competition continues, the belt will pass from champion to champion each year.  

As of the week of Thanksgiving, Walters said the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business had already donated 1,000 pounds of food. He also mentioned the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is doing a department versus department competition to boost engagement.  

“A lot of people are competitive, which brings out a competitive spirit,” Walters said. “The only benefit to the competitiveness is students are going to have a better selection here at the food pantry.” 

With two weeks down and two to go, there’s still plenty of time to help SNAC reach their 5,000 pound goal. Cook encouraged those who haven’t gotten involved yet to do so.  

“Seeing the USU community come together to support SNAC and support the 60% of students that experience food insecurity here on campus has just been really encouraging,” Cook said. “Other people care about this too, and the USU community together and the president’s office especially is committed to decreasing food insecurity.”