It can be hard to wrap your head around a student paying for college who cannot afford to eat. For campuses around the state, it’s a jarring reality.
Ely Milanich is a student peer health educator who works at the expanded Madison College food pantry, which will support a growing number of food-insecure students on campus.
The new operational space replaces the previous 14 x 14 closet, providing more pantry shelving, storage, and emergency food lockers. The space has a refrigerator, so the pantry can distribute perishable items and produce from the Madison College Garden and the Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens.
The renovation also features a Student Wellness Center for health and wellness programming coordinated by the Peer Health Educator Organization and private office spaces.
Denise Holin, student health educator, says that last year, the pantry helped nearly 1,600 students and distributed more than 20,000 pounds of food and household supplies.
Under inflation and skyrocketing rents, Madison College students and their families face food insecurity, an official term for limited or inconsistent access to healthy and affordable food. Lack of sufficient food or worrying about where the next meal will come from can negatively impact a student’s academic performance and mental and physical health.
Stephanie Hoff stopped by to talk with Ely Milanich, a student peer health educator who helps run the pantry. He tells us how far this resource has come, and what it means for students who need a little extra help.
