Food Pantry Now Part of University Wellbeing Initiative
Associate Dean Ellen Faszewski, Stephanie Clendenin, Annie Thomas, Kim Cahill, and Elizabeth Vassallo are BU Wheelock’s Student Services team. Photo by Christina McDonnell
Food Pantry Now Part of University Wellbeing Initiative
In 2018, Stephanie Clendenin and several of her colleagues on the BU Wheelock Student Services team noticed that some students were struggling to afford food on their limited budgets. So they submitted a mini-proposal to BU’s Wellbeing Project and soon received funding to start the Community Cares Food & Essentials Pantry.
“There’s nothing worse than being hungry when you’re surrounded by plenty,” says Clendenin, director of graduate and online student services.
Run entirely by BU Wheelock Student Services staff and student employees, Community Cares grew to serve roughly 40 people each week and became an important part of the University’s response to food insecurity among students. In 2023, its management was transferred to the University’s Student Wellbeing, where it will continue to be a key part of a centralized approach to providing food, hygiene products, and other resources to students in need.
Now known as the BU Food Pantry, this important resource is supported in part by a new grant from the Commonwealth Fund, which was awarded to address food insecurity and also educate students about nutrition. “It’s been really rewarding to get other students inspired and motivated to take up this work,” says Clendenin.
Learn more about the BU Food Pantry
Read “BU Launches New Initiative Aimed at Fighting Student Hunger.”