To better counter food insecurity among students on its campus, Fayetteville State University has launched a new food pantry.
University chancellor James Anderson made the announcement last week that the school is partnering with Food Lion, a grocery store chain, to run the pantry on the first floor of its Barber Administration Building.
“We believe that no one should have to choose between dinner and receiving an education,” Kris Thornton, Food Lion’s director of operations for the Fayetteville area, said.
“Some college students are worried about where their next meal will come from, and we want to help them focus on learning instead. The installation of this pantry is yet another way we can set students up for success and nourish them at the same time.”
In order to get the pantry started, Food Lion, which owns 1,100 grocery stores in 10 Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic States, provided $10,000 in products, shelving and laptops to the school. The pantry officially opened Feb. 19 to the Fayetteville campus community.
“I want to thank Food Lion for their efforts in getting this needed resource on the Fayetteville State University campus,” Anderson said. “We have been working with them for several months to get the pantry operational and I could not be more pleased with the work that has been put forward to make this happen for us.”
