On-campus food bank feeds students at Lee
All photos by Taylor Baker.
Student hunger is a growing concern on college campuses across the country, and Lee University is no exception.
As NPR reports, “Food insecurity is most prevalent at community colleges, but it's common at public and private four-year schools as well.”
Chase Eaves, the special projects assistant at the Leonard Center, spends his time focusing on the food bank – Lee’s primary resource for students not on a meal plan.
Eaves explained the food bank may have as many as 500 visits a week, where students can pick out a limited number of grains, produce, meats and non-perishable food items.
The food bank operates with donations from stores such as Walmart, Aldi, Food City and Starbucks.
“We partnered with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank,” Eaves said. “They help us connect with stores in the area, and we get the donations they have ready.”
As a recent graduate, Eaves understands the struggles of juggling school, work and bills. For many students, it is often a matter of prioritizing other expenses over buying food.
“I was trying to pay my bills and expenses, and I often had to choose between rent and food,” Eaves said. “If I didn’t eat well, my grades suffered.”
In a 2016 study by Students Against Hunger, researchers found that “32 percent [of students] believed that hunger or housing problems had an impact on their education.”
“Of those students, 55 percent reported that these problems caused them to not buy a required textbook; 53 percent reported missing a class; and 25 percent reported dropping a class,” the study concluded.
Junior discipleship major Jonathan Dale explained the food bank has been a vital resource for his time at Lee.
“Being a college student who has been on their own since age 18, it isn’t always easy having an adequate and consistent source of food,” Dale said. “Being able to utilize sources such as the Leonard Center’s food bank is a great blessing to me.”
The food bank is open Monday—Friday from 3—4:30 p.m. For more info, contact the Leonard Center at service@leeuniversity.edu.
