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Health, Hope & Healing: Dr. Amy Acton takes us inside Cleveland State University's LUV! Food Pantry

Close to 60% of college students across the country are food insecure, and CSU is working to provide not only access to groceries, but to resources of all kinds.

CLEVELAND — Hunger is on the rise not only across the country, but right here in Northeast Ohio. And this week, we're sharing a three-part series on how we're addressing food insecurity here in our community. It's part of our ongoing "Health, Hope & Healing" series with former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, and today we're visiting the Lift Up Vikes (LUV)! Food Pantry on the campus of Cleveland State University.

For students, success often depends on much more than what is happening inside their classrooms. Cleveland State University's Dean of Students Ali Martin Scoufield says she sees firsthand the many responsibilities and pressures college students are facing today.

"We recognize that our students are experiencing so much that can impact their ability to be successful students, whether that be food insecurity, housing insecurity, mental health supports and resources....and just navigating higher education can be challenging," she told Dr. Acton.

As Dean of Students, Martin Scoufield's work is part of the University's Division of Student Belonging and Success - which is designed around a growing body of research linking a college student’s sense of identity and belonging to their academic success and timely graduation. The Division of Belonging and Student Success supports a number of resources that include mental health services, LGBTQ+ Services, and Veteran and Military Services, to name just a few.

"We know that when students are involved on campus, they feel more committed and that sense of belonging that is really important to us. So that's my role, just trying to help our students feel connected, safe, and have access to what they need to be successful students," she said.

WATCH: See Dr. Acton's full interview with CSU Dean of Students Ali Martin Scoufield below

Another resource the University is providing their students is the LUV! Food Pantry, a choice market that provides resources that supplement nutrition and other basic human needs as they strive to earn a college degree.

LUV! is an acronym for Lift Up Vikes! and as Dr. Acton noted, this is a very unique experience on campus because the pantry is embedded right in the middle of student life, right in the middle of classes and food courts, inside Berkman Hall.

And as Martin Scoufield told Dr. Acton, their goal is to serve anyone who needs help --- from students to families and is even open to community members. She says, the need has only been growing since the pantry first opened in 2016.

"I think Lift Up Vikes! is a trend setting pantry, but there are a lot of colleges and universities really looking at food insecurity. And I think Covid highlighted an existing problem and maybe exacerbated it," she said. "We are serving upwards of 350 students a week."

As Dr. Acton pointed out, today, around 60% of college students are food insecure. And at CSU, the pantry is open to anyone who signs up for an appointment.

"We assume if folks are here that they need help and they need support," Martin Scoufield said. "We really put ourselves out there just like the library or tutoring or the counseling center that this is another resource for you. So if students are here, we know that they need us."

The staff and volunteers at LUV! strive to make visiting the pantry a comfortable experience.

"We do small group shopping sessions, so it's just generally about eight students in the pantry every 15 minutes and we keep our doors shut," explained Pantry Assistant Caleb Owsley, a first-year nursing student. "We have a mural here [covering the front window] and a big part of it is just giving the students privacy."

Owsley took Dr. Acton on a tour of the pantry and explained that they operate on a food choice model.

"We are not a traditional food bank. We're a food pantry. So we we give the students that come here the opportunity to pick out what they want, or pick out what they need."

WATCH: See Dr. Acton's full conversation with Caleb Owsley below

As Dr. Acton commented, all items on the shelves are thoughtfully considered for what this population is looking for when they shop. Not only is LUV! stocked with food that is appealing to college students, including snacks, and grab and go items, it also has non-perishable items and toiletries, as well as baby care items and diapers. 

LUV! is a partner agency with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and gets bi-weekly deliveries of fresh produce and other staples from them, but Martin Scoufield shared that the panty is also highly supported by the community, faculty, and staff of the University. 

"Students are constantly giving us donations. We're always partnering with different offices and we just recently did a 'Food for Fines' program that the parking office arranged, so you could pay off your parking tickets with jars of peanut butter."

LUV! also supports students with direct connections to Goodsbank NEO for household and furniture items, and to CSU's Fowler Emergency Fund, an emergency grant progam designed to help with unforeseen expenses that, if not resolved quickly, could lead to a student’s departure from the University.

"Part of our mission statement is just being able to support the students because their main concern now in these years of their life should be their academia working towards getting their degree," Owsley said. "We're a resource for every student to be able to get the support and help that they need for their academic career."

You can learn more about the LUV! Food Pantry here, and sign up for shopping appointments here. And you can learn more about volunteering and donating to the pantry here.

You can access other support services through CSU's Division of Student Belonging and Success here, and learn more about the Fowler Emergency Fund here.

More Health, Hope & Healing with Dr. Amy Acton:

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