On Thursday, June 21, 2018, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) announced the opening of a Student Food Pantry in hopes to “help students who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.” According to Sara Hicken, RMUoHP Coordinator of Academic Administration, the Student Food Pantry’s purpose “is to provide temporary relief when students are in a situation where they can’t afford food or hygiene products.”
Ms. Hicken was inspired to start a student food pantry here at RMUoHP after researching issues that students face. “I was reading an article about food insecurity (not knowing where your next meal is coming from) among college students and thought we have a population that is very dependent on a tight budget and any unexpected financial problems could cause them to be food insecure.” Ms. Hicken continues, “18-33% of college students face [food] insecurity at some point in their educational career. That means at some point they have to choose between being able to eat or paying for another necessary expense.”
The Student Food Pantry is housed in two locations on the RMUoHP campus: in the corner of the Student Services lobby in Building 3 and in the student study space in Building 561. Both pantries are accessible from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can also set up a time to meet with someone in Student Services team to talk more about their needs by emailing studentservices@rm.edu. If an off-campus student needs services while on campus, they are encouraged to reach out to Student Services to make arrangements to receive food or hygiene products while on campus.
Ms. Hicken says that the Student Food Pantry runs on an honor system, meaning that students are trusted to not wrongly take advantage of the free resources. “The Student Food Pantry is meant for any student that is facing food insecurity,” says Ms. Hicken. “This isn’t intended to be used if you forget your lunch, but instead is to be used when someone is truly unable to afford to eat or cannot obtain proper hygienic products.”
All of the items that make up the Student Food Pantry were generously donated from faculty and staff members. Most of the dental and hygiene items were donated by Main Plaza Dental in Spanish Fork. The Student Food Pantry is able to provide services to students through regularly donated food and hygiene items.
To donate to the RMUoHP Student Food Pantry, food and hygiene items can be dropped off directly at either of the Student Food Pantries, any campus reception desk, or Ms. Hicken’s office (Room 134 in Building 3).
As of now, Ms. Hicken, as well as other university administrators devoted to the initiative, are planning on taking the first few months to determine the needs of the students and grow as needed. Ms. Hicken says, “Ideally we’d like to have a fridge where we can offer items like milk, eggs, and fresh meat, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. Ultimately though, we hope that this will provide a resource for students who are in need. We understand that students are on a very tight budget and any unexpected expense can send them into a difficult spot. We want to be there to help ease the burden when they can’t afford their next meal or hygiene items.”
For more information about resources available to students at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, visit the Student Services website at https://rm.edu/student-services/.
