Titan Pantry
The Titan Pantry is open and available to all members of the IWU community.
- Located in the Hansen Student Center in 16 repurposed lockers that each hold a variety of supplies.
- Access available whenever the building is open.
- Anonymous. No check-in or registration required.
- Donations of shelf-stable food welcome! Drop off anytime to the info desk in Hansen.
Background
A 2021 campus survey revealed that 43 percent of students said they could not afford to eat balanced meals and 33 percent of students reduced or skipped meals due to a lack of funds.
Viktoriya Salgalova (IWU ’22, Neuroscience Major/Hispanic Studies Minor) secured the 2022 Elizabeth Weir Action Research Fellowship to address this food insecurity:
“Through this fellowship I hope to address the issues of food insecurity for students as well as the lack of awareness on campus. The current culture that exists in private universities tends to ignore issues surrounding income inequality when it comes to the student population. This is only promulgated by the meal plans that all residence hall housed students are required to subscribe to creating an assumption that all students have continuous access to food. Specifically, access to food during breaks will be a priority because Sodexo is closed. As a student at IWU, I’ve had to see students, particularly on the commuter meal plan, who have struggled to fill their nutritional needs eating five meals a week at Sodexo and struggling to secure the rest of their meals. At the high academic level that IWU students are expected to achieve, access to food should not be a concern while trying to obtain their degree.”