About us

About us

What is Food Insecurity?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity can be thought of as a spectrum with varying degrees of severity. Food insecurity may look like a family having to skip meals. It also might look like a family or individual that does not have access to the types of foods to get proper nutrition.

What is the difference between Food Insecurity and Hunger?

While food insecurity is the lack of enough healthy, nutritious food, hunger is the physiological consequence from that lack of food. According to Feeding America, “It is important to know that though hunger and food insecurity are closely related, they are distinct concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.”

History of the Fuel Pantry

Each year the College's Phi Theta Kappa chapter participates in a project known as the "College-Wide Project" and for the fall 2015 project the chapter researched the need for a food pantry on campus. They spent the semester meeting with local experts and college administration, conducting surveys of current students and faculty/staff and working with service learning students on the need and feasibility of opening a pantry. Phi Theta Kappa's research alone found that 100 out of 750 College of DuPage students reported having access to only 1-2 full meals a day or less than a full meal a day. The chapter felt that this showed food insecurity was definitely an issue that should be addressed at College of DuPage. Phi Theta Kappa wanted to support the campus community members by giving them the brain "fuel" they need to succeed while at the College of DuPage and therefore created the Fuel Pantry.

"Many college students who experience food insecurity struggle to reach milestones such as year-to-year persistence and certificate or degree completion" -Higher Education Today

According to the National Nonprofit, Swipe Out Hunger, "A student's ability to focus in class, stay in school, and feel part of the campus community are threatened by food insecurity."

The Fuel Pantry Mission

The Fuel Pantry was named because of its mission to provide “brain fuel” to any student, staff, or faculty member with a self-identified need. It is intended to be as accessible as possible, serving any range of needs from anyone who requires a healthy snack, all the way to those who need weekly grocery assistance.

The Food Security Initiative (FSI) at College of DuPage

The Food Security Initiative (FSI) was formed in 2018 as a campus-wide project made up of a team of staff, faculty, and students dedicated to fighting food insecurity at COD. The mission of the FSI is “to build food security in our community. We cultivate and provide nutritious food, educate through academic study and direct participation, and engage the local population to assess and meet its nutritional needs.”

Since its establishment, the FSI has promoted students helping students, empowering them to address food insecurity among their peers through class work, service learning, and internships. We have formed academic partnerships throughout campus, including Biology, English, Speech, Culinary, Horticulture, and Architecture, making for a truly interdisciplinary project. Additional campus partners whose work has contributed significantly to the project include Sodexo, Natural Areas, Buildings and Grounds, and the COD Foundation.

A central component to the FSI is the partnership between the Fuel Pantry and Fuel Garden. The Fuel Garden started in 2001 as a service learning site. It has recently been renamed as the “fuel garden” and is a critical part in building food security in the campus community. The Fuel Garden is a source of nutritious produce for the Fuel Pantry as well as a sustainable gardening education opportunity for students and the surrounding community.

For more information, please contact us at CODFuelPantry@gmail.com. Click HERE for our project one pager.

Client Testimonials

"I wanted to say thank you so much. I'm really struggling and when I got home and unpacked everything, I burst into tears. What you did for me today was amazing and I really appreciate what you and all the volunteers did. Today's packages have meant the world to me."- Fuel Pantry Client

"The Fuel Pantry was there for me when my own parents couldn't be there for me. Being an international student, the pandemic hit me really hard. Banks were shut down overseas so I couldn't get help from my parents financially...[The Fuel Pantry has] helped me so much! I never again went to bed hungry!! [They] always asked me if I needed anything more without any judgement. They worked so hard to help me and my family with meals."-Fuel Pantry Client

"As an exchange student, for a very short program and with a limited amount of scholarship, we always try to save money and eat less than a normal portion just to make sure we will not run out of money. But since we receive food every Thursday, we felt relief." -Fuel Pantry Client

Volunteers

The Fuel Pantry has student workers and student interns that perform the daily operations of the Fuel Pantry. However, we have events throughout the year where we need the help of volunteers. These events keep the pantry running and can only happen with the support of volunteers. If you would like to be notified of volunteer opportunities, please fill out this form to be added to our email list.

Please note that filling out the volunteer form does not guarantee we will have volunteer opportunities available.

Donations

The Fuel Pantry accepts toiletry and non-perishable food donations at any time of the year. To arrange a drop off for donations please email CODFuelPantry@gmail.com. In addition, tax deductible cash donations can be made through the COD Foundation.

Thank you!