Dr.Kathleen Hunzer told Rotary about Freddy’s Pantry at UWRF, which started in 2022 and is a full-service pantry to support UWRF’s student success by providing food items and daily essentials to students facing any kind of food and/or personal needs insecurity. The facility was initiated by Dr. Hunzer in collaboration with the UWRF Director of
Student Success as a response to the fact that some UWRF students struggle to meet basic needs.
Nationally, 11% of people struggle with food insecurity, which is defined as the inability to eat three solid meals a day. For college students it is 45% nationally and for UWRF students it is 42%.
Here is a photo of the contributions from our club:
Freddy’s Pantry started as a bookshelf pulled into a hallway and stocked with non-perishable food items. Students could take what they needed. This evolved into an actual pantry room with shelves and a refrigerator. Because all Honors students at UWRF must do volunteer work, the pantry is staffed by Honors students. Students may use Freddy’s Pantry
once a day and can take only 5 items each time. The Pantry is in Room 268 Rodli Hall. This concept has expanded so that many dorm hallways have a bookshelf with items donated by dorm residents.
From January to May 2022, Freddy’s Pantry has distributed 3,515 pounds of food to 329 students (around 6% of the UWRF students) who made 1,604 visits. Forty-five percent of the users are first-generation college students or non-traditional students. Thirty-three percent are athletes and 66% are living on campus. Although students living on
campus can have a meal plan, the cheaper meal plans don’t cover all meals. The support of UWRF students has grown to include clothes (some students didn’t have winter coats), food and might expand to help with rent. The university also has small grants for students who have emergency expenses such as broken eyeglasses or need a new tire for their car.
To contribute, here is a link: Uwrf.edu/give/freddys-pantry.cfm
For more information contact Kathleen Hunzer at Kathleen.hunzer@uwrf.edu
About the Speaker: Kathleen Hunzer, PhD, is Director, Chancellor’s Scholars, Honors Program, and Falcon Scholars at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She has held a number of teaching and administrative positions at UWRF, and her CV notes her particular interest in working with overlooked and underrepresented student groups.