{"id":7893,"date":"2018-04-26T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T19:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/?p=7893"},"modified":"2018-05-02T17:34:50","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T21:34:50","slug":"gamecock-pantry-attempts-to-alleviate-food-insecurity-at-usc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/gamecock-pantry-attempts-to-alleviate-food-insecurity-at-usc\/","title":{"rendered":"Gamecock Pantry attempts to alleviate food insecurity at USC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Gamecock Pantry is available for USC undergraduate and graduate students to use.<\/p>\n

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Emery Smith, executive director of the Gamecock Pantry, says the organization is always willing to help a student in need.<\/p>\n

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The Gamecock Pantry is run solely by student volunteers through USC’s Leadership and Service Center.<\/p>\n

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With college tuition and living costs on the rise, students are experiencing hunger and food insecurity at a higher rate. Food insecurity occurs when someone is unable to access sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food.<\/span><\/p>\n

For some students, when this struggle hits, it affects more than just them. That was the case for Bryent Taylor-Marshall, Senior Political Science, who lives with his girlfriend and their five-year-old daughter. <\/span> When an unexpected car emergency hit, he knew he had to find a solution. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking at options of how I could kind of cut bills without really needing to short our lifestyle a bunch,\u201d Taylor-Marshall said. \u201cSo I was looking at Harvest Hope Food Bank, but then I came across the Gamecock Food Pantry.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Gamecock Pantry is a food pantry at the University of South Carolina. It\u2019s run by students for students. Its\u00a0mission is to <\/span>provide access to food in a free and confidential way to USC students, while also creating awareness about food insecurity at the university.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pantry is one of more than 350 college food pantries<\/a> that exist in the country, a number that has increased tremendously since 2009, when there were only 10.<\/p>\n

Executive Director Emery Smith is a senior at USC and has been working with the pantry for three years now. She\u2019s seen how much it has grown, especially during this school year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast year alone, the pantry had 70 clients that whole entire school year,\u201d Smith said. \u201cLast semester alone, one month, I think it was September or November, we had 150 students in one month. So, yes, we\u2019ve grown tremendously and the hours have gone up so we can accommodate more people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

And the process isn\u2019t difficult at all. All you have to do is show up at the pantry, located in McBryde Quadrangle A, and bring your Carolina Card. From there, a volunteer will ask you to fill out a client intake form.\u00a0Students may select a total of 15 items per week. <\/span><\/p>\n

The pantry has non-perishable foods, like canned foods and pasta sauce, and a variety of toiletries to choose from that don\u2019t add to the 15-item quota. They also host Fresh Bread Fridays, where students can get fresh bread every Friday in addition to their 15 items. But Smith says volunteers are\u00a0<\/strong>always willing to help a student in need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they were to need more, we always just tell them to tell someone who\u2019s volunteering at the time,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s never a big deal. You never know what someone might be going through.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Taylor-Marshall, he hasn\u2019t used the pantry recently because he says he and his family are in a better place financially, but he knows they can always rely on the Gamecock Pantry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally, really glad I had it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I know if we\u2019re ever in a short space that we can always pick up there and we won\u2019t have to worry about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about the Gamecock Pantry, their hours, how to volunteer, or how to donate, click here.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

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