Bowie State University opens food pantry that feeds students for free
BOWIE, Md. (ABC7) — Bowie State University held a grand opening of a new food pantry and nutrition lounge on February 17.
It is located in the basement of the library and is free to all students.
Food Lion Feeds donated $10,000 to the university to help open the food pantry and nutrition lounge.
The university said many of its students only eat one meal per day, so having a food pantry with fresh produce will allow them to get a healthy snack whenever they want one.
The school is partnering with Capital Area Food Bank to make sure the lounge stayed stocked with food.
Since the food pantry also includes a lounge with sofas and a television, the university hopes all students utilize the space.
When we talked about this concept with Food Lion we really wanted to attack the stigma and breakdown the stigma of people feeling like they didn’t want to come and get food because of the thought that there is something wrong with suffering from food insecurity,” Brent Swinton, Bowie State Vice President for Institutional Advancement said. “That’s a growing trend across the country and colleges are attacking that and Bowie State University is at the cutting edge. So we want people to feel welcome, to come in and realize that this is all about making sure nutrition is available so our students can achieve in the classroom.
Swinton said this is just the beginning. He hopes to eventually stock with lounge with free toiletries for students, as well as food.
