Southern Connecticut State University will benefit from a $200,000 donation made by Stop & Shop to support campus food pantries across the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. The funding comes as the system reports a 40% increase in student visits to campus pantries over the past year.
As part of the initiative, 1,000 midterm care packages were assembled this week at Central Connecticut State University by volunteers from Stop & Shop, CSCU students, faculty, and staff. The packages, which include soups, snacks, and encouraging handwritten notes, will be distributed to students at Southern and other CSCU universities during midterms.
“Across our colleges and universities, so many of our students are balancing full- or part-time jobs, academic demands, caregiving responsibilities, and the ongoing challenge of affording basic necessities. Access to healthy, nutritious food helps relieve one of the many non-academic pressures they face,” said CSCU Interim Chancellor Dr. John Maduko. “Stop & Shop has been a valued partner in this work, helping us keep campus food pantries stocked with the essentials students depend on. We are deeply grateful for their continued support and for providing care packages that help our university and college students perform their very best during the stress of midterms week.”
Southern’s on-campus Food Pantry, located in Room 141 of the Wintergreen Building (accessible via a separate entrance across from the James Moore Field House and adjacent to Jess Dow Field), has experienced increased usage as more students balance academics with work, caregiving responsibilities, and financial pressures.
The portion of the donation allocated to Southern will help keep the pantry stocked with high-demand items such as breakfast bars, pasta, ramen, toiletries, menstrual products, baby care supplies, and other essentials.
The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program has partnered with CSCU for five years, totaling more than $597,500 in donations to address student food insecurity across the region.
Students in need of assistance or interested in donating or volunteering can learn more at the SCSU Food Pantry webpage.
