A new partnership with the Kansas Food Bank will help dollars donated to Emporia State’s campus food pantry stretch further. The university is the first to partner with the Wichita-based organization’s Stocking Pantries program.
“This partnership allows us to purchase food at a discounted price for Corky’s Cupboard,” explained Blythe Eddy, director of student activities and community service. “Some of the food we’ve been purchasing at grocery stores can be found on the KFB site for less.”
Corky’s Cupboard, which opened less than a year ago, is stocked through campus food drives as well as monetary contributions. It provides food for current students who are food insecure, meaning they may not have the resources necessary for an adequate daily intake of food or not always know where their next meal is coming from.
The first order of goods from KFB was delivered to campus on Wednesday.
The partnership with KFB isn’t the only good news for Corky’s Cupboard. A few weeks ago, it received a grant of $1,000 from United Way of the Flint Hills.
“Many of us remember what it’s like to be the poor, starving college student,” said Jami Reever, executive director of UWFH. “For so many kids, it’s not just a cliché we throw out to make it seem like we’re tough — it’s real. What these students are doing through Corky’s Cupboard is making a big difference.”
Hornet Nation is in the midst of its annual food drive — Can the Bods — a competition with Washburn University to see which campus can raise the most food and funds for local food pantries. At Emporia State, portion of the donations go to stock Corky’s Cupboard with the remainder benefitting food pantries in Emporia.
The drive continues through Friday, Oct. 30, and the winning school will be announced Oct. 31 during the football game against Washburn in Emporia State’s Welch Stadium.
For information about food items needed for Corky’s Cupboard, go online to www.emporia.edu/pantry. Cash donations can be given through the website https://hornetnation.emporia.edu/givenow by using the Designation pull-down to choose Other, then typing “Corky’s Cupboard Food Pantry Fund” in the box.
More information about the Kansas Food Bank and its programs can be found at www.kansasfoodbank.org.