Bemidji State University’s free food pantry will continue to receive support through new funding from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education’s Hunger-Free Campus program.

Bucky’s Cupboard has been awarded a $10,050 Sustaining Designation Grant, which supports colleges and universities that have earned a Hunger-Free Campus designation and are seeking funds to sustain their efforts.

The pantry has assisted more than 680 individuals so far this academic year, providing a variety of items. Nina Johnson, director of the Hobson Memorial Union, said hygiene items are among the most requested. “I think the thing that might surprise people to be in high demand are hygiene items. We keep a regular stock of shampoo, soap and other toiletries. I once had a student share with me how important that was because she was on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and couldn’t buy hygiene items with those funds. Bread, milk and frozen items are also quick to go,” Johnson said.

Bucky’s Cupboard serves a significant number of students. According to data from visitors who logged their visits, 20% visit 1-2 times a month, 21% visit daily, 38% visit occasionally and 21% are first-time visitors. Of those who visited, 32% came to supplement their groceries, 16% were looking for a meal, 46% were seeking a snack and 5% needed other items.

The recent grant funding is expected to significantly impact the pantry’s operations. “The flexibility of funding the grant dollars provide will be a huge help,” Johnson said. “We kickstarted the pantry with help from the United Way of the Bemidji Area. COVID relief funding became available in 2021 and 2022 to help as we expanded the pantry and saw an increased need. We received a Hunger-Free Campus Grant to further build our pantry in 2022-2023 when COVID dollars ended. Last year, we didn’t have a grant and we were really scraping for resources.”

“The lack of funding motivated us to work with the Alumni Foundation to do some crowd-sourcing and we were able to raise pledges totaling $30,000 over five years to keep us afloat. This new Hunger-Free Campus grant means that we can extend those dollars even further out and maximize the giving of our faculty, staff and community that supported us when we needed it most.”

Bucky’s Cupboard, located in BSU’s Hobson Memorial Union, operates in partnership with the United Way of Bemidji Area to help address food insecurity among students. The pantry is centrally located and accessible to students at both BSU and NTC – Bemidji’s Technical College.