By Vince Gasparini | November 20, 2023
Purple Pantry, the University at Albany’s on-campus food pantry that is open to students, faculty, and staff, received $50,000 in funding from the State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King Jr. in honor of Hunger Action Month this past September. King’s allocation of this funding was a portion of a larger $1 million that was divided among SUNY campus’s food pantries.
UAlbany’s uptown campus.
Photo Credit: Mattie Fitzpatrick / ASP
“Supporting students facing food insecurity is a priority for increasing student success and upward mobility across the system,” King said, according to a press release from SUNY. “We are grateful for how our campuses are partnering and investing to make sure that no student is forced to choose between pursuing their education or experiencing hunger.”
In his announcement, which he made at SUNY Brockport on Sept. 26, King “outlined his vision to combat food insecurity by investing in food, supplies, and staff time to help ensure the food pantries remain stocked, open, and accessible to students in need.”
UAlbany’s spokesperson Jordan Carleo-Evangelist discussed how the funding will affect the Purple Pantry, saying it will help volunteers “order, pick up and stock food, as well as recruit, onboard and train student volunteers to ensure the pantry is well-supplied and open as much as possible for students.” The funding will also help stock essential items in the pantry, and potentially fund the purchase of a new fridge or freezer.
Purple Pantry, which opened in 2019 with an initial grant of $54,000, provides non-perishable foods, frozen foods, fresh produce, personal items, and toiletries to the UAlbany community.
“The additional $50,000 is a significant amount of support for a resource that helps many in our community who are in need,” Carelo-Evangelist said.