The holiday season is finally upon us, and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited! The lights, music, and spending time with my family, really, all of it, but what really makes this season so special for me is who it can bring together. The season is all about love, unity, and spreading joy throughout the community. It’s about leaning on those closest to us and celebrating the small things in life.
FSU has always felt like a family to me, almost like a home away from home. The FSU student body has always been there to support each other, through thick and thin, through the good and bad. Not only is this special season about joy, but also about helping those around us, which brings me to FSU’s Food for Thought Pantry! The Food for Thought Pantry has been a beautiful display of the FSU community striving to support each other every day, not just during the holiday season.
When I first came to FSU, I struggled when it came to finding the finances to not only support my education, but to support my well-being, too. The transition to being on my own for the first time was tough; it can be for anyone, especially when it feels like you don’t know how to be by yourself. It’s a struggle that many go through, and access to food can be hard when trying to balance so many new life decisions. It’s why I wish I had discovered the Food for Thought Pantry sooner.
The pantry’s main goal is to support the FSU student body and provide them with what they need to succeed. Not only does the pantry provide food for students who need assistance and are dealing with food insecurity, but it also participates in food drives for different events to raise awareness and encourage the rest of the community to get involved! The pantry provides a lot of options for students to pick from and does their best to give them what they need in order to have a balanced meal.
Available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, the pantry welcomes all students, especially when it comes to donations. Its main donation hub can be found at Doak Campbell Stadium at University Building A, right on the fourth floor, room 4148. However, the pantry does occasionally provide different donation areas around campus that are more easily accessible to students while walking to their next classes.
With different donation collections around campus, anyone can help provide food donations to other students at FSU. Without the support of the community, the pantry can’t help those in need, and donations don’t need to be anything major! Anything small can help tremendously for another student in a hard situation during the holiday season.
If you’re interested in donating, the Food for Thought Pantry at FSU website has a wish list containing items that the pantry is hoping to collect. The list asks for items ranging from dairy products to cooking supplies, but everything is appreciated and accepted!
Their website also contains information about different resources on campus that can be beneficial to students in need of support beyond what the pantry can provide. Especially during these hard times, sometimes food isn’t the only thing that students struggle with, and finding ways to help will surely bring a smile to someone’s face on any day of the year.
The pantry definitely becomes a source of comfort during the holiday season for many students on and off campus. It shows that there’s good to be found all around you and that the holiday spirit can thrive anywhere.
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