Spartan Food Pantry provides vital groceries to SJSU students in need
SAN JOSE -- Inflation is hitting families hard this holiday, and that includes Bay Area college students who rely on campus food pantries as a critical resource.
Fresh produce and other staples made up the majority of Himanshee Bhadana's grocery basket during her regular trip to the Spartan Food Pantry on Wednesday.
She's a master's student at San Jose State University. She is just one of the more than 2,500 students who relies upon the university's food pantry program. There she can get some of her groceries for free.
"Surviving here is quite difficult, actually, as an international student," she said. "So this really, really helps us. It makes a huge impact in our lives."
Ben Falter is the Senior Student Affairs Case Manager at SJSU Cares, which helps provide resources and services for students facing financial hardships. He says there are a lot of students who face food insecurity.
"The reality is we have a lot of low-income students who come through here," Falter said. "It's really a situation where a job loss, a reduction in hours, a parent's job loss, can really all of a sudden put them from that point where they're doing okay with their budget, but there's not much in the bank to immediately being in a space where they need additional assistance."
He said the pantry has existed for around three-and-a-half years and noted the demand for assistance is growing.
"This year we're averaging over 200 students every single day in our pantry," he said. "By comparison, that was around 120 students, and the year prior, around 55 students per day."
However, he says the stigma often associated with seeking out resources is diminishing.
"When you see that you're one of 200 students coming into the pantry in a day, you don't feel alone," Falter said. "You feel like you're just accessing something that's there for you."
Students who qualify for the program are able to get groceries once a week. Inside, they'll primarily find staples, like milk, eggs, produce, beans, rice, and more.
The food assistance program is for students who are:
- Currently experiencing hunger/food insecurity
- Enrolled SJSU students
- Have an annual income of $30,268* or less (no documentation required)
Emmanuella Andjui works at the pantry and shops there as well. She sees how the pantry's existence benefits her peers on a day-to-day basis, but also feels it herself.
"So that really helps decrease my expenses, when it comes to groceries," she said. "This really helps not only me, but all of the students that really need food."
With Thanksgiving upon us, Bhadana wasn't shy to express her thanks for the pantry. But her gratitude extends well beyond the holiday.
"We're grateful all around the year for this," she said.
Falter says SJSU is launching a campaign to help spread the word for ways to assist students in need.
"We're also doing a 'Share Your Spartan Heart' campaign, and that's a way to share with the university and general community that there are ways to assist these students ourselves," he said. "Tuition dollars do not go into the food at the Spartan Food Pantry, they don't go into the emergency crisis funds that we distribute. So, we're reaching out through our 'Share Your Spartan Heart' campaign to see who in the community might be able to donate, or at least boost the signal of the work that we do."
