Did you know that over a third of college students across America struggle with food insecurity? According to a 2019 survey by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, 39% of college students nationwide experienced an inability to access food during the month prior to the survey. 

“A lot of people assume that because Guilford is a private college that people don’t face food insecurity,” Madison Spivey, site coordinator for the Quaker Cupboard, said. “That’s probably the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.”

The Quaker Cupboard is a totally free food pantry located in King 122.

“A lot of students have to opt out of meal plans because it’s a choice of staying on campus and in school or eating,” she said.

To combat what Spivey sees as often unrecognized food insecurity on campus, the Quaker Cupboard bridges “that gap between students who cannot afford meal plans, students who cannot afford groceries or who struggle with those in-between meals.”

At the cupboard, one can find quick snack foods like granola or protein bars, oatmeal and fruit, in addition to canned foods, bread and fresh produce. These easily accessible, free options are critical, according to Spivey, in getting many students through the day.

“The Quaker Cupboard is the heart and soul of the campus,” Spivey said. “Students’ academic work and mental or physical well being would be much worse without it.”

However, after the COVID-19 pandemic and its still lingering effects on Guilford College, the cupboard has been struggling to readjust. 

“We need more funding,” Spivey said. “At one point, we had support from GSBA; we had $5,000 each semester. We’re trying to get back to that.”

Currently, the cupboard gets support from Guilford College, but this is supplemented by donations from the community. For example, the New Garden Friends Meeting has collected donations and supplies for the Cupboard, and local businesses such as New Garden Bagels provide supplies too.

For students interested in supporting the cupboard, contact its email, [email protected], Instagram or Facebook. Even small things, like reposting or sharing posts and talking to fellow students, help raise awareness and fulfill the Cupboard’s goals of supporting both Guilford and the broader Greensboro community.

“If everyone does just a little bit, a tiny little bit, it makes such a dramatic change,” Spivey said. “Things like talking to people and starting those conversations have a butterfly, a domino effect.”