In response to the recent suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Fordham University’s Office of Campus Ministry has created a food pantry for students and staff members who are affected by the cuts. 

As of Nov. 1, SNAP benefits, which help to feed nearly 42 million low-income individuals across the country, were paused due to the ongoing government shutdown. Days before the benefits were officially halted, food banks began gearing up for an increase in demand. 

On Oct. 29, Fordham President Tania Tetlow told Campus Ministry staff that she wanted to develop a “quick response team” to help impacted Fordham community members, according to Rev. Philip Judge, S.J., Executive Director of Campus Ministry. Judge said what followed was a day of “frantic energy” with staff members brainstorming to figure out how they could effectively address the cuts. 

“It was a lot of hands, and of course, anything like this, many hands make light work,” Judge said. “But it’s also no one person’s idea. It was really a team effort.”

The food pantry, a collaborative effort between Campus Ministry and the Center for Community and Engaged Learning (CCEL), officially opened on Monday, Nov. 3, with locations on Fordham’s Rose Hill (RH) and Lincoln Center (LC) campuses. 

At LC, the pantry is located in the CCEL Conference Room, Lowenstein Building Room 140A. At RH, the pantry is located in a conference room in the Campus Ministry office, McShane Campus Center Suite 215. They will be open on both campuses weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Gil Severiano, director of Campus Ministry Operations, Budget and Community Engagement, said that people who use the pantry are asked to fill out an online form upon entry. She clarified that the form only asks for their Fordham affiliation (such as student or staff) and the campus where they are receiving food. Names, Fordham ID numbers or other personal details are not required, and the form is used solely to help Campus Ministry track demand for the pantry.

Before opening the pantry, last Thursday, Severiano began creating an Amazon wishlist for donation items. She said she referred to lists forwarded by community partner organizations to best determine what items to include.

“We kind of looked at the list of what people in the community were asking for, and we put them on the list,” Severiano said. “And we did a basic order, knowing that the Fordham community would rally. I’ve been here since Sandy. Fordham rallies, and so we knew we’d start getting donations.”

On Friday, Severiano, along with several other members of Campus Ministry, went to Costco to ensure they had enough food to start the food pantry the following Monday. They had a $3,000 budget — Tetlow earmarked $1,000 on both Fordham campuses and Campus Ministry set aside an additional $1,000, according to Severiano — and used all of it to purchase necessary items like canned vegetables, soup, chicken and more. 

But while they weren’t sure how many donations they would initially get, Judge and Severiano both said they have received amazing support from the Fordham community. 

“The generosity we’ve had just in three days has been extraordinary,” Judge said. “People dropped off tons of food today. People are taking full advantage of using the online ordering things from Amazon. So people are willing to help, and I suspect, as long as people are willing to help, we’re going to offer that help to people who need it.”

Aside from food, the pantry provides coffee and tea for people who come by. The office is also playing relaxing music throughout the day to create a welcoming atmosphere. Severiano said it is hard for students to show up and receive help via the food pantry, which is why they want to make sure it is a friendly environment.

“We really want people to understand that we are here to support and make sure that they have what they need,” Severiano said. “We’re trying to make it a pleasant atmosphere when they come in, we make sure that we welcome people and that they’re as much as possible put at ease.”

Severiano said the pantry will try to have allergen-friendly foods and various food groups. While they are getting lots of donations already, Severiano said they are still in need of items like fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, cooking oil and vinegar. She did add that Aramark, Fordham’s food provider, is contributing by providing foods they are lacking at a reduced price. 

She also said that students can donate their guest meal swipes through a program that puts the swipes in a fund that never expires and provides them to students in need.   

Additionally, people can help by purchasing items through the Amazon wish lists — there are separate wish lists for the RH and LC campuses — donating to the student emergency fund, volunteering with the campus food pantry and volunteering with local food pantries.

In an email statement to The Fordham Ram, provided by university spokesperson Jennifer Petra, Tetlow highlighted the importance of the work Campus Ministry and CCEL are doing and explained how it is representative of Fordham’s designation as a Jesuit institution.

“There is no better expression of the Jesuit values that guide us than to support one another during times of uncertainty and hardship,” Tetlow said. “It is a core principle of our Catholic faith-and all of the world’s great religions-to feed those who are hungry. I implore anyone who needs support right now to lean on your Fordham community-it would be a privilege and a gift to be able to help.”

While the Trump administration announced Monday that it would restart partial funds to SNAP benefits, Severiano and Judge both stated these benefits would take some time to administer, and that they plan to continue aiding students through the campus food pantry until then.

“The initial hope is that while SNAP benefits are suspended, that we’ll be able to help for as long as that period lasts,” Judge said. “Even today, the announcement that there would be partial restoration of those benefits, that’s not going to happen soon or immediately. So this issue is going to go on for at least a couple of weeks until the government gets its act together.”

Since opening on Monday, Campus Ministry at RH has received an additional 30 cases of donated food, according to Severiano. 

“We are fully stocked, and waiting for students and employees to come in,” Severiano said.