Skipping meals for many University of South Carolina students isn’t about dieting — it’s about survival.

USC’s Gamecock CommUnity Shop has become a lifeline rather than just a resource as inflation and housing costs continue to strain student budgets.

The shop, located in Suite 4000 of the Carolina Coliseum, offers a variety of items, including food, toiletries, clothing, cleaning supplies and more — all at no cost — to students, staff, and faculty.

Anyone in the USC community can access up to 40 points worth of essential goods per month by simply scanning a QR code and presenting their CarolinaCard. Clothing is available separately and for free, with a limit of 25 items per semester.

“The real promise of the shop is, like, a one-stop shop for all your basic needs,” said Rylyn Reynolds, a junior majoring in accounting and international business who serves as the CommUnity Shop’s co-education and outreach coordinator.

A surge in demand

The 2024–25 academic year has seen demand soar to unprecedented levels at the shop, which has been open for several years.

“ Last year, we had 1,558 visits from the start of the school year till now,” Reynolds said. “This year, we’ve had 5,243 visits from the start of the school year. … There were only 490 unique households last year, and this year we have 1,001 unique households.”

Summer usage also surged: from 716 visits in summer 2024 to 3,196 this past summer, with nearly three times as many items distributed.

Much of the food is donated through partnerships with organizations like the Harvest Hope food pantry. But some essentials are in short supply, especially fresh produce and meat, which are difficult to keep in stock.

“ If we had an unlimited budget? I know for a fact that we would keep produce stocked, like daily produce and fresh meat,” Reynolds said. “… But right now it’s literally just like everything that we’re putting out is getting taken.”

CommUnity

The shop depends on volunteers who work weekly shifts, some as little as one hour a week, yet their impact is anything but small.

Reynolds began as a one-hour-per-week volunteer before joining the executive team.

“Even though we each have specific roles, everyone pitches in where they’re needed,” she said. “It’s very much a team effort.”

Chandler Daily, the shop’s volunteer coordinator, assembles a weekly schedule, aiming for four to five people per shift. Some days are overstaffed, others slightly under, but the rhythm holds. Volunteers are trained to rotate through a wide range of tasks — stocking shelves, bagging groceries, scanning items at checkout and restocking essential pantry items.

Events that feed and unite

The CommUnity Shop is currently hosting the SEC Food Fight from Oct. 1 to Oct. 11, a friendly donation competition with Louisiana State University ahead of the upcoming football game. Students and staff can donate food, clothes or money.

Promotional efforts have even included Gamecocks head football coach Shane Beamer, who appears in a campaign video on the shop’s Instagram feed, urging students to “pack the CommUnity Shop like we pack Williams-Brice Stadium.”

Other upcoming events include:

• A football food drive at Williams-Brice Stadium, Oct. 18, and
• A Food Lion Farmers Market, Oct. 24, where large-scale produce donations will be distributed for free.

Help wanted

The pantry’s supplies are struggling to keep up with need, even with increased awareness and support.

The shop last year distributed around 13,000 items by this point in the semester. This year? More than 40,000.

“ I’m very glad there’s more awareness for it, but it’s also like, OK, like, now we need the resources to keep up with the van,” Reynolds said. 

The CommUnity Shop’s increase in visibility is a double-edged sword: More people are being served, but with that comes a growing need for space, donations and consistent funding.