By R. Tiara Malone
Tell us about Grove Grocery and your role there?
Grove Grocery was established in 2012 as a registered student organization meant to offer food pantry services and to educate our university community about food insecurity in higher education settings and in our state. I have served as the staff advisor to Grove Grocery since 2019. As staff advisor, I have the great honor of supporting our passionate student leaders who run our operations, educate our community, and continue to build our capacity to serve.
Have you seen an increase in food insecurity amongst college students?
I began serving as staff advisor just prior to the impacts of the pandemic. During the pandemic, our utilization soared as students sought support around food insecurity due to lost wages and pandemic shutdowns. Utilization has increased every year since that time as more and more students learn about our services. In the last year, especially with increased food costs, we are seeing more and more students that need some assistance with food and nutrition security.
Do you have any advice for students who are hesitant to use the pantry due to taboos or shame around pantries?
Food is one of our most basic needs. We need a diverse nutritious range of foods to maintain our health and to focus as students. I hope that any student that struggles to have enough food or enough nutritious food knows that our pantry is available for all. While we have a limit on how much food students can take in one visit, we have no other barriers to access. We have set up our pantry to feel like a food shopping experience that allows students to access the space and select the items they need.
How can members of the Ole Miss community get involved?
We are run completely by our student volunteers. We have volunteer opportunities available for open hours at the pantry, tabling events, fundraising events, Kroger shopping trips, and other committee work. Students need to participate in a volunteer training via zoom and then can sign up for various volunteer opportunities. This is a great way to serve our community and see the direct impact of our services.
What are the hours of operation and do you have any social media we can follow?
Most of our pantry updates are available via Instagram (@grovegrocery).
Our hours of operation, volunteer information, and other updates can be found there. At present, our fall hours are Wed-Sat 10-6pm and Sunday 1-4pm.
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