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Photographs by Michael J. Clarke
spring 2024
Above photo: Pantry Peer Ambassador Fatoumata Kanny Barry (left) and Suffolk CARES Graduate Fellow Anne Eluma (right) help raise awareness among students about the pantry’s resources.
Five years ago, the Suffolk CARES Pantry opened with a mission of creating a “culture of care” for students experiencing food insecurity.
Six months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“When a lot of schools were scrambling to figure out how to address their students’ food needs, we were already ready to go,” says Amanda McGrath, dean of undergraduate student affairs. “From day one, we wrapped the ‘culture of care’ around everything we did in the pantry.”
Located on the 12th floor of 73 Tremont, the pantry offers food, household goods, educational supplies, and hygiene products free of charge to students. It was launched with a generous grant from Darden Restaurants and its then-CEO Eugene Lee, Jr., MBA ’96, HDCS ’19, and is supported by campus and corporate partners.
“One of our goals is to spread awareness that food security issues impact everybody,” McGrath says. “There still is, and will always be, a stigma around asking for help, but we have been able to cut down on that stigma at Suffolk because we have amazing support from the administration.”
Much of the support also comes from students who have used the pantry and then spread the word to others who might be in need. In fall 2023, Suffolk CARES started the Pantry Peers program, a volunteer leadership group of five undergraduate students who serve as pantry ambassadors.
“Our Pantry Peers help students feel more comfortable asking for help,” says Justine Morgan, BS ’19, MPA ’24, pantry coordinator and case manager. As an undergrad, Morgan found a sense of belonging and connection at Suffolk CARES, as well as a place where she could work together with others to address a shared problem. “I hope,” she says, “we can continue to provide that for our students.”
For students living with limited means, any unexpected expense—a medical emergency, car repairs, the loss of a job—can mean having to choose between paying for food and other essentials. Rising food and housing prices in Boston have also had a significant impact on the number of Suffolk students experiencing food insecurity. Two years ago, 278 students visited the pantry; last year, 648 students did. In the fall 2023 semester alone, that number climbed to 577.
To better serve students, the pantry has created CARES Cabinets: two satellite pantries in the Sawyer Building and Sargent Hall stocked with snacks and smaller food items for students who might not be able to make it over to the pantry. The pantry also began carrying fresh produce on Tuesdays, and is exploring offering dairy products and baby supplies, based on student needs.
By Gillian Smith
Right: “From day one, we wrapped the ‘culture of care’ around everything we did in the pantry,” says Amanda McGrath (right), with (from left) Doreen Floyd, CARES director of student outreach and support; Justine Morgan, CARES pantry coordinator and case manager; and Theresa Doherty, first-year students CARES case manager.
The pantry’s parent organization, Suffolk CARES, was created in 2017 to work with students who face unexpected challenges—everything from financial issues to changes in family or interpersonal relationships.
“Students could be walking along, having a great day, and then all of a sudden something gets in their way and their ability to focus on college becomes compromised,” explains Doreen Floyd, director of student outreach and support for Suffolk CARES.
Not every student who faces a setback needs clinical counseling, Floyd says, so the vision behind Suffolk CARES is to offer students resources that support their academic and personal success.
“I like to say we’re trying to help them be the best ‘them’ possible,” she says.
Suffolk CARES receives referrals from faculty members, staff, resident assistants, and family members about students who might need additional support or appear to be struggling. Suffolk CARES team members reach out to students and meet with them to discuss their current situation and goals, create a plan connecting them with appropriate resources, which can include financial advising, academic coaching, or clinical counseling.
Floyd credits a lot of the pantry’s success to support from community members, student groups, and alumni, who recently helped raise $15,000 to celebrate the pantry’s five-year anniversary.
“We are a campus that strives to provide access and opportunity to everybody, and that access mission is central to the pantry,” McGrath says. “My hope for the next five years is that every single student knows about the pantry and the resources it offers.”
Helping students be their best selves