Submitted By Cara Walker, Executive Director of Development, Annual Giving
Boise State provides a variety of opportunities for parents and families to help support Boise State students. Private gifts from parents and family members go toward supporting scholarships, research opportunities, student programs, and campus resources like the Student Employability Fund. They also provide support for emergency service and assistance programs that help students stay in school even while facing challenges.
This past spring, the Dean of Students Office and the Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU), led an initiative to create food cupboards on campus, ensuring that students don’t have to go hungry while attending Boise State. When it was brought to the attention of the students that 41 percent of their classmates have experienced “high” levels or “very high” levels of food insecurity, the ASBSU group took action, with donors helping to fund the critical supplies needed to start the program.
Since opening in January 2018, the Boise State food cupboards program has provided nutritious meal options and snacks for over 100 students experiencing food insecurities. Basic school supplies, such as pencils, pens, binders and notebooks are also available.
Debbie, a non-traditional nursing student and mom of three teenage sons, uses the food pantry often to help stretch her food budget. She said it also provides moral support. “There’s a community effort being brought to campus to make a difference,” she said. “I see items from multiple local grocery stores, and I feel like I have a community that is willing to make a sacrifice and that I am not alone. Sometimes that’s all I need to know to keep fighting for the next A.”
The need for this service is obvious. If you would like to help, please consider making a gift today.
MAKE A GIFT *use keyword “food pantry” in the Fund Search tool