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State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced the first round of SUNY campuses to receive grants to purchase food pantry refrigeration, with 17 awarded today. Those included the State University of New York at Fredonia.
"Today's grants are a result of passionate advocacy by our student leaders who called for refrigeration at campus food pantries so that all students have access to high quality meals. Hunger has no place on our campuses, and we must do everything we can to eliminate it so that students can focus on their studies, Malatras said. "Our mission at SUNY is to make that decision easier by supporting our students with sustainable food options with the hope that one day our food pantries won't be necessary. Until that day happens, we will make our food pantries as robust as possible, and with a little bit of funding, we are able to do so."
SUNY Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Student Advocate Dr. John Graham said, "Our 64 campuses worked tirelessly to meet the requirement of having a food pantry or access to a food pantry for our students -- today's announcement takes this movement to a whole new level. Dry pantries are helpful, but having refrigeration options allows for no restrictions on what they can store for students, gives students more options, and provides them with sustainable food sources that they can rely on. My thanks to Chancellor Malatras for elevating this issue and supporting campuses in need for refrigeration. This effort also reinforces the great relationships we've created with local food banks, and we look forward to our continued work with these organizations to make food insecurity a thing of the past."
New York's regional Food Banks will help deliver enrollment opportunities and support to the nearly 3 million New Yorkers currently facing food insecurity. As part of the partnership, SUNY will conduct joint enrollment webinars with food banks on a quarterly basis. Participating regional Food Banks with Fredonia include FeedMore Western NY.