Student Basic Needs
This community of practice is focused on meeting students’ basic needs: establishing food pantries... View more
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Food Pantry Naming
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Food Pantry Naming
Hi Everyone!
We recently received some feedback that the term Food Pantry could have a negative connotation that could impact students’ willingness to utilize the resource offered. Has any other on-campus food pantry received this feedback? Has anyone changed or selected a different title based on similar feedback to what was mentioned above? If anyone’s food pantry does not use “Food Pantry” in its name I’d love to hear what they are called.
Many thanks!
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Meghan Myers
Assistant Director of Student Life Operations
University of Rochester
M.myers@rochester.edu
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4 Replies
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Hello!
At Missouri State, ours is called the Bear Pantry. I also know that Kansas State’s pantry is called Cats’ Cupboard but do not know any details on it.
I do not oversee our campus pantry but thinking back to past conversations I don’t believe we have received much, if any, negative feedback over our name choice. Ours has been open for almost 5 years and has had the same name since its inception and continues to grow year over year. It seems like location has a much bigger impact on utilization than name does on our campus.?——————————
Cortney Denbow-Goff
Assistant Director, Facilities and Operations
Missouri State University
Springfield MO
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2024 09:20
From: Meghan Myers
Subject: Food Pantry NamingHi Everyone!
We recently received some feedback that the term Food Pantry could have a negative connotation that could impact students’ willingness to utilize the resource offered. Has any other on-campus food pantry received this feedback? Has anyone changed or selected a different title based on similar feedback to what was mentioned above? If anyone’s food pantry does not use “Food Pantry” in its name I’d love to hear what they are called.
Many thanks!
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Meghan Myers
Assistant Director of Student Life Operations
University of Rochester
M.myers@rochester.edu
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Similar to Cortney’s response, ours is called Freddy’s Pantry. Freddy is the name of our falcon mascot. I haven’t heard of negative feedback around the name or Freddy’s Pantry naming decreasing the use and it gets used pretty often.
Maybe “(mascot/name) pantry” gives off more you’re going to a pantry in your place of living rather than a food pantry? I’m not sure, but perhaps just taking out “food” from “food pantry” would decrease some stigma?
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Deanna Cahoon-Draus
University Center Programs Specialist
University of Wisconsin River Falls
River Falls, WI
(715) 425-3986
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2024 09:20
From: Meghan Myers
Subject: Food Pantry NamingHi Everyone!
We recently received some feedback that the term Food Pantry could have a negative connotation that could impact students’ willingness to utilize the resource offered. Has any other on-campus food pantry received this feedback? Has anyone changed or selected a different title based on similar feedback to what was mentioned above? If anyone’s food pantry does not use “Food Pantry” in its name I’d love to hear what they are called.
Many thanks!
——————————
Meghan Myers
Assistant Director of Student Life Operations
University of Rochester
M.myers@rochester.edu
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Hello!
Happy to see this being discussed.
At the University of Houston, our pantry is called “Cougar Cupboard”. I know other pantries have switched to calling themselves “markets”, and it has worked well for them. We already have markets on our campus, so we had to avoid that term, but it is a great alternative.
We try to market ourselves as a free grocery resource rather than a food pantry, which helps in addition to the name.
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Jessica Haney
Program Manager
University of Houston
Houston TX
(713) 743-6021
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2024 09:20
From: Meghan Myers
Subject: Food Pantry NamingHi Everyone!
We recently received some feedback that the term Food Pantry could have a negative connotation that could impact students’ willingness to utilize the resource offered. Has any other on-campus food pantry received this feedback? Has anyone changed or selected a different title based on similar feedback to what was mentioned above? If anyone’s food pantry does not use “Food Pantry” in its name I’d love to hear what they are called.
Many thanks!
——————————
Meghan Myers
Assistant Director of Student Life Operations
University of Rochester
M.myers@rochester.edu
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Hi! Ours is called the Western Hub of Living Essentials, or WHOLE. This started, I believe, in 2019, and is well known on campus with that acronym.?
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Jenn Cook
Assistant Director, Leadership and Community Engagement
Western Washington University
(360) 650-2390
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2024 09:20
From: Meghan Myers
Subject: Food Pantry NamingHi Everyone!
We recently received some feedback that the term Food Pantry could have a negative connotation that could impact students’ willingness to utilize the resource offered. Has any other on-campus food pantry received this feedback? Has anyone changed or selected a different title based on similar feedback to what was mentioned above? If anyone’s food pantry does not use “Food Pantry” in its name I’d love to hear what they are called.
Many thanks!
——————————
Meghan Myers
Assistant Director of Student Life Operations
University of Rochester
M.myers@rochester.edu
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