The Blue Jay Pantry at Elizabethtown College was established by the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) to provide students regular access to nonperishable food items donated by members of the Etown community.

“The goal of the Blue Jay Pantry is to help reduce food insecurity among Etown students,” Director of Purposeful Life Pathways and Civic Participation Joel Janisewski said. “We along with many colleges and universities know that student food insecurity is a real issue.”

With the creation of the pantry, the College is officially a member of the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA). CUFBA provides its over 600 members with support and resources to provide students the food and resources they need for educational success.

The pantry officially opened last week; it was prepared to open last semester, but everyone on campus was sent home due to COVID-19 right before the launch could take place. It was fully stocked with generous donations from students and the larger Etown community. Janisewski also mentioned the large role that President Cecilia McCormick played in launching the pantry by donating money for shelves and other supplies.

The pantry is now open Monday to Thursday from 8am-7pm for drop in visits.

The pantry is located in the Baugher Student Center (BSC) in room 251, near the Chaplain’s Office, which is not an especially high traffic area. CCCE is following COVID-19 guidelines set by the College and the state of Pennsylvania for food pantry operation to ensure that the pantry is safe to use for students and staff. According to COVID-19 protocol, only one person is allowed in the pantry at any given time. The pantry is marked with appropriate signs to foster proper social distancing, and staff wipes down high-touch surfaces at least a couple times a day.

“We want to do everything we can to promote community wellness,” Janisewski said.

In terms of donations, food items including pasta, rice, peanut butter, cereal and granola bars are among the most needed items. A full updated list of donatable items can be found on the Etown website. However, the pantry is always seeking suggestions and recommendations for new items to which students would like to have access. A bin for donations is located outside of the CCCE office (room 258A in the BSC). Students can make monetary donations to the pantry as well.

“When people visit the pantry, we want there to be a good range of nonperishable food items that are available,” Janisewski said.

The pantry is also partnered with Campus Wellness in order to help students create healthy meals and snacks with the food items available at the pantry.

Janisewski mentioned that the pantry does not keep track of the identities of students using the pantry, he only asks that students mark the number of items they take in order to keep a record of inventory.

“Our goal is maximum hospitality and access for students who need it while also maintaining the privacy of students who use [the pantry],” he said.

While Janisewski could not publicly report specific numbers, he could confirm that students have been visiting the pantry since it opened. He believes that there will be regular visitors to the pantry as well. Transitional times such as weekends or breaks in the academic calendar are important for college students experiencing food insecurity because they have less access to food services on campus. He expects pantry usage to go up around those times.

The pantry is planning on having a food drive later this semester, though exact dates and times are not yet known.