DENVER — Quite literally tucked away down a hall at the Tivoli Student Union on MSU Denver's campus, a room sits filled with food; shelves stacked with nonperishable food items, and Briana Rendon unwinding from another busy day.
“It does get very busy, very cramped but our team members work very well together to help a student leave with the items that they want," the senior at MSU Denver said.
As a team lead at the Roadrunner Food Pantry, Rendon has worked with a team to navigate what is known to be a very small space, serving hundreds of MSU Denver students.
“…for students trying to go to classes, do really well in them, graduate in however many years – there’s a lot that they need to focus on outside of how they’re going to pay for rent and pay for food," Rendon recalled.
Over the last year, she says they've seen demand increasing, recounting several times where a line of students is out the door.
“I think it’s sort of an unknown burden that people don’t think about," she said.
But soon, a welcome and much-needed upgrade.
This summer, the food pantry was able to secure a larger space down the hall in the heart of the Tivoli Student Union, which was once an on-campus convenience store.
“It’s 10 times the square footage," said Miguel Huerta, the Assistant Director in MSU's Student Care Center, which oversees the food pantry. “I think it’s perfect timing."
They estimate that the pantry won't be able to complete its relocation until at least the end of November this year, barring any delays in renovation.
Last academic year, the pantry served 1,335 students, Huerta said.
“We doubled our numbers from Fall 21 to Spring 22 and already 8 weeks into the semester we’re on pace to maybe more than double the number of students and visits that we’re going to have," he said.
Inflation could play a factor, Huerta believes.
“I think we see that in the referrals that we’re getting to the care center, we see that with the applications to our emergency fund and we see that with the increase in students – not just the increase in the number of students coming, but the frequency of their visits and the amount of food that they’re trying to get," he said.
With a much larger space, Huerta believes it gives the pantry more visibility.
He also hopes that it helps break the stigma surrounding food insecurity.
“We’re seeing folks that may have additional challenges or barriers to their education that like the traditional, stereotypical college student didn’t have and we want to rise to that occasion and offer them what they need to be successful," he said.
Among other features, the new space will have a much larger section for food to be refrigerated and frozen.
The concept of the pantry has been on MSU Denver's campus since around 2008, and also distributes some personal hygiene products.
Funded by mostly donations and grants, the pantry is available to any registered student at the university.
The food is free for students, but students are limited to a "point system" that allows a max number of food items to be purchased.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Education