Hashima Sumy goes twice a week with her bag to get the products she needs for her breakfast, lunch and snack.
“I like this tuna, I usually take it home, my mom is the one who helps me prepare it with a little onions, tomatoes, then I put it in a sandwich and it’s what I have for lunch,” said Hashima Sumy, a student at Hunter College.
And while it looks like a small store, it’s actually the Hunter College Pantry, which provides free food to all students, regardless of their economic status, or if they qualify for federal assistance.
During the pandemic, Hashima’s family was left without a job, with this difficult situation the young student sometimes went to bed without eating.
“Shopping groceries or simple necessities like toilet paper became very difficult, until I found out that the university had this pantry where I can grab whatever I want, and it doesn’t cost me anything,” Sumy added.
Like her, according to a CUNY survey, in 2022 around 110,000 students in the NYC system reported difficulties getting food.
“40% of our students indicate that at some point they are worried, because they do not know where their next meal is going to come from. We want them to know that we are here to help them, referrals are also made in these pantries for other assistance from the city , food stamps,” said Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, CUNY chancellor.
The Hunter College Pantry, like the other 20 at CUNY Colleges, will be open all summer, including for students not in class…this food aid is a collaboration of the NYC Food Bank, that deliver the products…
“There are 1.6 million New Yorkers who don’t know where their next plate of food is coming from, tens of thousands of students don’t have enough encouragement either, we can’t have that,” said Leslie Gordon, President & CEO, Food Bank New York City .
“There’s pasta here, we all love pasta, plus it’s so easy to prepare, you boil the water and that’s it, I just add salt, pepper,” said Sumy. “I also love orange juice, I always have it on hand in class, what’s more, I’m going to take another one.”
The Hunter College Pantry is not just for Hunter College students, but for all students in the CUNY system.
2023-08-01 19:14:00
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