USU’s campus food pantry still open to students

LOGAN – Officially, it is Utah State University’s Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC). In essence, it’s the campus food pantry and it remains open during the COVID-19 health emergency to serve USU students, faculty, staff and student families.

Previous surveys show a third of USU students don’t have enough food and now with many losing jobs, including work at local restaurants, food pantry leaders are offering their services.

About 34 volunteers man SNAC during it’s operational hours, Tuesday through Thursday from 1p.m.-5 p.m. with extended hours of 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Friday at the center on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center, room 332.

James Wirth of SNAC said other options are available to those affected by COVID-19.

“We are now taking online orders and allowing people to either ask for delivery if they are currently quarantined or self-isolating,” Wirth explained. “They can also come to the University Inn parking lot and we can run it down to their car.”

Wirth said latest numbers indicate the center helped about 10 percent of USU’s Logan campus studentbody during fall semester.

“We served about 4,000 visitors and about 1,300 unduplicated individuals last fall. We have had an increase in new users, people that hadn’t heard about us before. And we have also seen an increase as we have been encouraging it for people to stock their homes with non-perishable goods so they can limit their daily and weekly grocery treks and interactions in public spaces.”

In February, 400 visitors a week came to the center.

SNAC coordinates with several student-run food recovery-related programs which gather food from dining services that is leftover each day, including commissary items like bagels and breads.

They also have access to a farm at the Utah Conservation Corps site where fresh produce is grown as seasons permit.

“One of our main supporters is the Cache Community Food Pantry in downtown Logan where we pick up about 1,500 pounds of non-perishable goods each week.”

SNAC patrons receive these services for free and is a program within USU’s Center for Community Engagement.

SNAC is moving to an online platform at https://form.jotform.com/ 200786504000039.

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