Florida State University Libraries, in collaboration with the Student Government Association, the Food for Thought Pantry and Sustainable Campus, recently unveiled the inaugural permanent food donation bin in the Paul Dirac Library lobby during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Food for Thought Pantry, which relies entirely on donations from various sources including Second Harvest of the Big Bend, plays a crucial role in supporting students facing food insecurity. As the number of students utilizing this resource continues to rise, the university is exploring alternative and effective ways to sustain and assist in this vital service.

Gale Etschmaier, dean of FSU Libraries, expressed support for the new donation bin initiative, highlighting its potential to make a significant impact on the local community.

“We are thrilled to introduce a permanent food donation bin at Dirac,” Etschmaier said. “This is the second food donation bin at FSU Libraries; the first was installed at Strozier in April, a testament to our commitment to supporting students facing food insecurity. This initiative underscores the power of community and the importance of sustainable support systems.”

During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Pantry recorded 18,203 student contacts, with nearly 88% of these interactions occurring through main Pantry visits. The Pantry also organized six mobile distribution events across campus, dining hall meal swipe donation distributions, a hurricane preparation distribution and Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) workshops.

In total, 3,239 unique students accessed Pantry services last school year, which includes summer 2023, fall 2023 and spring 2024. This marks a significant increase of nearly 58% from the previous academic year.

This month, FSU’s Food for Thought Pantry is participating in a competition with UF’s Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry where each type of donation item is assigned a point value. At the end of the Chop & Chomp Food Drive on Nov. 26, the inventories will be totaled based on the point system and the school with the most points will be declared the winner.

“We know from research that food insecurity can have detrimental effects on student well-being and academic success,” said Food for Thought Pantry Program Manager, Haley Gentile. “The Chop & Chomp Food Drive channels friendly competition with the University of Florida into our shared mission to reduce food insecurity on our campuses.”

The Pantry’s fall hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The facility is closed on weekends and university holidays. Any alterations to standard hours are advertised in the Pantry and on the Pantry’s social media pages.

For more information on how to donate to the Food for Thought Pantry, visit dsst.fsu.edu/foodpantry/donations.

The post FSU campus partners continue to fight food insecurity with new donation bins, annual competition   appeared first on Florida State University News.

During her time at Florida State University, Sydney Cole has balanced being a Women’s Swimming and Diving student-athlete, Presidential Scholar and environmental researcher while honing her leadership skills through a continued commitment to community service and sustainability.

Cole engages with the FSU and Tallahassee communities through the Presidential Scholars Program, a premier undergraduate merit scholarship that invests in undergraduate students with potential to become transformational leaders.

“Getting to be a part of a community of incredibly talented and goal-oriented students has made me a better leader in terms of creating quality work and getting involved on and off campus,” Cole said.

When she’s not tending to the Seminole Organic Garden or working with the FSU Food for Thought Pantry, Cole conducts environmental research with the Population and Sustainability program for the Center for Biological Diversity.

While at the center, Cole observed a gap between the public and environmentalists in how they understand the link between public health and environmental problems. This made her realize there needs to be more focus on discussing these issues and inspired her to start her Honors in the Major project on how environmental topics are talked about and shared.

“I believe my contributions of service to the FSU community can extend to the Tallahassee community,” Cole said. “My work with the FSU Food for Thought Pantry, Seminole Organic Garden and the Center for Biological Diversity place emphasis on the importance of accessibility of resources for all.”

What personal experiences inspired you to pursue environmental issues and sustainability?

My personal experiences in population and sustainability began back in Nebraska when I started a journalism project on how comprehensive health and sex education was in my community. I looked at schools across Omaha and the metropolitan area, ultimately concluding that my own district was far behind. This write-up eventually got published and led to my work with the Center for Biological Diversity as we look at the intersection between climate justice and reproductive justice. At the end of the day, my work strives to highlight the allocation of resources and offer solutions on how we can work to bridge this gap.

What does being a Presidential Scholar mean to you?

Being a Presidential Scholar means so much to me, not in terms of title, but more in terms of community. I am thankful to have these opportunities. Every time I benefit from this program, I am reminded that not everyone has been as fortunate as I have been to receive this help, which is why I’m appreciative that we’re working to make the program more accessible.

As a student-athlete, what resources at FSU helped you balance your athletic responsibilities and education?

I’m thankful that I’ve not only had the advising help of the Presidential Scholars program, but also that I’ve had the help of the athletic department. The number of times I’ve missed school for swim meets and been helped by the wonderful staff who send out travel letters and help us coordinate make-up dates is invaluable. My old academic advisor used to go as far to communicate with the Presidential Scholars program head to see what we could do to make my schedule more feasible. I am incredibly thankful for all their help.

Why do you believe it’s important to volunteer for the FSU food pantry and community garden? 

If we’re being honest, I think a lot of the work that I do there is self-serving. I find it calming to be able to go outside each week and work in the garden beds before I sprint off to work meetings. I don’t think I’m doing anything revolutionary, but I do think we must continually support the garden and food pantry because there are students dependent upon those resources. Overall, I’m fortunate I have the time to be able to go there each week.

As a double major in sociology and English, how have your majors complemented each other to benefit your career goals?

I started as an English major purely out of enjoyment, mostly because I have always enjoyed the process of writing and editing. I added sociology when I discovered how much I was interested in doing qualitative research, particularly on environmental issues. I suppose it allowed me to talk to people without explicitly engaging in journalistic interviews. Instead of focusing on a singular story, I utilize a wide range of data sets to begin identifying a common narrative not just of people, but of communities. I believe this will transfer over into my career goals, but truthfully, I have yet to create a definitive career plan. I want to explore whatever makes me happiest.

The post Sydney Cole appeared first on Florida State University News.