Greetings, fellow adventurers! Prepare to be astonished by the clandestine chronicles of Slippery Rock University and its neighbouring town. The ghastly spectre of food insecurity has once again reared its ugly head, haunting the lives of countless students on and off campus.
Imagine this: A survey piloted by the Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA) unveiled that approximately 30% of SRU’s resident students grappled with food insecurity in 2019. Astoundingly, on a national scale, a staggering 50% of college students have encountered this harrowing ordeal at some point during their academic pursuits.
To compound the misery, the ripples of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused poverty and hunger to surge, not just locally but across the expanse of the United States. Life has grown more arduous for everyone, and the repercussions have been particularly profound for those battling to nourish themselves and their loved ones.
Mark Yankasky, a valiant AmeriCorps volunteer at SRU, poignantly described food insecurity as more than mere barren cupboards. It’s that gut-wrenching feeling upon arriving home, only to discover there’s scant sustenance to prepare a proper feast. This is a grave matter, often relegated to the fringes of discourse, as if it’s somehow been accepted or even romanticised.
Mr. Yankasky also highlighted the stigma encircling the notion of broke college students, a stigma that only serves to exacerbate the issue. Can we pause for a moment and consider the tired stereotype of students subsisting solely on ramen noodles? It’s most unbecoming.
Nevertheless, the Institute for Nonprofit Leadership at our esteemed institution has been labouring diligently to shed light on this pressing matter. They devoted an entire week to a series of activities aimed at enlightening and galvanising the populace to take action. From documentary screenings to food justice symposiums, a poverty education game, and grocery bingo, they have spared no effort.
Their endeavour did not conclude there – they are now orchestrating a countywide food drive at Butler SUCCEED. The objective is to gather provisions from areas of abundance and disseminate them to those in want. It’s all about bridging the chasm and fostering unity within the community.
But wait, there’s more! During the documentary screening, students seized the opportunity to vocalise their apprehensions by drafting letters to the esteemed State Representative Mike Kelly. Their entreaty? To champion anti-hunger schemes in the forthcoming Farm Bill. It is heartening to witness our peers taking a courageous stance in support of a noble cause.
Fortunately, our institution provides succour to students grappling with food insecurity. RockPantry+, a food pantry endorsed by the SGA, is dutifully fulfilling its mission to cater to the destitute. They also collaborate with Bob’s Cupboard, a local pantry, to ensure no soul languishes in hunger.
As Yankasky aptly articulates, “We are a nation that yields a surfeit of sustenance, yet myriad barriers impede its conveyance to those who direly require it.”
Let us aspire that through heightened awareness and united endeavours, we may vanquish food insecurity and ensure that none within our community retire to slumber with an aching void within.
