Partnership helps food pantry address an often unseen need

Four young men pose for a photo while unpacking boxes of canned carrots - Unique partnership helps food pantry address an often unseen need Graduate student Alan Gorny and more than 30 other members of the JHU football team have volunteered their time over the past nine months to revitalize the food pantry, which has distributed nearly 13,000 pounds of food since March to help address food insecurity on campus The concept of a food pantry at Johns Hopkins began with students. Originally developed and founded by alums Nemo Keller, WSE '16; Ivory Loh, KSAS '18; and Emma Zeng, KSAS '19, and funded by a grant to address food insecurity and reduce food waste on the Homewood campus, the initial, student-run iteration of a food pantry opened in spring 2018. However, when campus effectively shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the pantry became inoperable without student staffers, and what had become a vital resource for many members of the Hopkins community was lost for two years. In March 2022, however, the concept was revitalized, and the Johns Hopkins Food Pantry opened its doors inside The LaB. Bolstered by a partnership with the Maryland Food Bank , the food pantry is now operated by the Office of Student Outreach and Support -situated within Student Affairs -providing more structure and ensuring consistent operation throughout the year. The pantry, geared toward students but open to anyone with a JHED, currently has 559 registered shoppers and has distributed nearly 13,000 pounds of food since March.