Massachusetts Vs Hunger

By Nicole Bagala

Easton Food Pantry is one of a number of organizations that are serving the hungry.

Dan Guerin, the director of public relations for Easton Food Pantry, said it all started in 1978 after a fire burned down a home and the family lost everything. The town staff set up a collection to help, and the pantry has been running ever since.

“Easton has always been a caring town, and it has supported us in all that we do,” said the president/founder of Easton Food Pantry Kenneth Wood. “It takes a village as they say, and that’s why we are successful. The greatest gift we can give is giving ourselves to others.”

Hunger has always been an issue, but instead of it lessening, hunger cases have increased.

According to Action Against Hunger (AAH), about 690 million people worldwide are going hungry. From 2018-2019, the number of undernourished people has grown by 10 million, nearly 60 million more now than there was in 2014.

The Easton Food Pantry collects food donations from several organizations in Easton, such as churches and schools, to help Easton residents in need of food. It is open for distributions every Monday from noon to 3 p.m.

But the Easton Pantry isn’t the only place taking measures to combat hunger. Colleges are also doing their part to help hungry students.

A lab manager at Bridgewater State University, Jane Doherty, said she and her daughter, Julia, started the campus’ food bank, Food Bank For U, in 2014 with a $1,000 grant from the university to help students who were going hungry.

In 2018-2019, they joined Greater Boston Food Bank to make J’s Market, where students can take as much food as they need.

Then in 2019, Doherty passed the reins of Food Bank For U and J’s Market to Eileen Estudante, the director of Student Outreach and Special Programs at Bridgewater State University.

Both places have since been renamed the BSU Food Pantry, and Estudante has been running them ever since.

“The BSU Food Pantry aims to reduce short-term food insecurity for students dealing with such problems,” said Estudante. “We believe the pantry helps support students’ success, and to ensure that no student goes hungry because of a lack of income or access to food.”

At Wheaton College, people were very aware of hunger on campus.

Wheaton’s Interfaith Engagement Coordinator and Wellness Event Planner Caleigh Grogan said they have a First-Generation and Low-Income task force, and the members actively communicate with students to find out their needs.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit last March, the group knew they needed to help the students stuck on campus, so they ran a food bank until the 2021 spring semester, when Wheaton’s dining halls became fully operational again.

“We're proud that the food pantry helped fill the food security gap created by the pandemic,” said Wheaton’s Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity and Belonging Dean Shaya Gregory Poku. “Wheaton is working to gather more data about how this affects our students, and we recognize that hunger is an issue we need to be attentive to.”

Stonehill’s Marketing Administrator Linda DesRoches said Stonehill recognizes that there are students who may be struggling financially, which is why every student gets the same meal plan. That way every student can regulate their own funds to what their financial situation may be.

Stonehill also has a food bank called the Science Center Mini Food Bank. It is located in the Shields Science Center and is run by Dr. Martha Hauff, an assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Bronwyn Bleakley, an associate professor and chairperson of biology.

Bleakley said the food pantry can be accessed anytime the Shields Science Center is opened, which is usually from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. She also said that the food bank was inspired in 2019 after students grew concerned about running out of meal plan money following changes to the meal plan pricing.

“The goal of the food bank is to ease food insecurity for students and staff, allowing them to concentrate on learning,” Bleakley said. “We also want to raise awareness of the serious issue of food injustice, and how it significantly impacts college students and their access to education.”

Hauff said that Stonehill’s Farm also works on combating hunger and providing Brockton residents access to fresh food. She feels these are valuable resources to have.

“I believe the food pantry makes a difference in the day-to-day lives of some students – the resources are available whenever they might need them,” Hauff said.

And to help students stay safe, Stonehill has put a few safety measures in place.

“We’ve implemented the Bite Program for staff and students, and we’ve taken steps with plexiglass and social distancing,” DesRoches said. “We’ve also implemented a six-foot kitchen, have a counter at the door, and we’ve eliminated self-service in order to keep students safe.”