LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Dozens of food items line the Haven Cupboard food pantry shelves on the East Campus of Commonwealth University Lock Haven. The cupboard is celebrating five years of helping students struggling with food insecurity.
"It really meets our needs in terms of the number of students that we're serving and the atmosphere that we're trying to create, which is really to reduce shame and stigma around needing food and other basic needs supplies as a student cause college is expensive," said Amy Downes, director of the Haven Cupboard.
"We rotate those items for students. When they come and shop, it really is like a grocery store experience for them. They get to select what they want, and we find that reduces waste," said Downes.
Depending on the number of donations the food pantry receives during the week, students can take as many items as they wish.
"We do our best to make sure this is a shame-free area where someone feels welcomed and included. We're absolutely here for them, and we're here to provide them with that service to make their lives just a little bit easier," said Olivia Hanna, a student worker at the Haven Cupboard.
Shonah Hunter is a retired Lock Haven University faculty member and donor to the food pantry. She says the Haven cupboard helps students focus on what matters most: their schoolwork.
"It's just so obvious that one of the things that we can do is to donate, make sure that students do have access to food to try to relieve some of that stress that they might be experiencing from week to week and day to day," Shonah Hunter, donor the Haven Cupboard.
"We're really facilitators trying to help the students be the best they can be, and if you're hungry and you can't get good sleep, you're not going to be the best student you can be," said Ralph Harnishfeger, donor of the Haven Cupboard.
Over the last five years, the Haven Cupboard has helped about 2,000 students in Clinton County.