Improved College Student Food Pantry

Being a college student and finding the means to provide food can sometimes seem difficult. One local community college is trying to bridge that gap and offer easy access to food for its students. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College have opened a new and improved food pantry.

The purpose of the food pantry is to provide supplemental food and other necessities to students who need any kind of assistance. At the food pantry, students can receive a variety of food items ranging from canned goods, boxed food items, bakery goods, and dairy and meat products.

The food pantry was located previously in the dorms. The Thunder Food Pantry will be located inside the commons building on the main campus for students to have access to. The decision to relocate the food pantry made it easier for students because of Covid and everything else that has been happening lately, Johnson said.

Ariel Johnson is the Director of NANDAGIKENDAN (Seek to Learn) Academy at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

“Offering a helping hand can go a long way. Especially with our students who may be facing a lot of other challenges in addition to just trying to be a student," says Johnson.

The panty will also have additional items available like household cleaning items, toiletries, feminine hygiene products, and even diapers.

Johnson said, “We have a lot of families that attend college here. We have single mothers and some people who are restarting their lives by finding a new career. So, we want to be able to support all of our students as well as we can.”

Staff members hope to have students who sign up for the food pantry gain the opportunity to partake in other services as well. "One of the other things we hope to do is to have students sign up; kind of like an informal process to see if they are eligible for other resources such as SNAP."

Students can visit the food pantry Monday through Friday from 11am-noon and again from 3 pm-4 pm or make an appointment with the social worker is on campus. To be eligible for the food pantry, students must have a valid student ID.

If you would like to donate to the Thunder Food Panty, contact Ashley Tegels to schedule your donation drop-off.