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Filling a need: Ivyside Eats helps Penn State Altoona students fight food insecurity

Food insecurity at Penn State Altoona has "drastically" increased for college students, said Sue Patterson, director of diversity, equity and inclusion. To combat student hunger, the campus offers Ivyside Eats, a food resource center that is available to all students.

Ivyside Eats is a pantry located in the Smith Building Belonging Center and has been a student resource for the last 12 years. The pantry consists of shelf-stable foods and a variety of hygiene products that students need and are struggling to buy, Patterson said.

When the campus started Ivyside Eats, they were serving 20 to 30 students and now, the pantry is accessed by more than

500 students a semester. Patterson said there is a confidential sign-in process that is not required by students, but is used to collect data to understand the number of students who are needing resources. The pantry is open to students seven days a week at any time.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 52% of students have faced food insecurity while attending college. Patterson said this number aligns with the data they have collected on their students.

"I am shocked that we are on day three of classes, and I have had to refill the food pantry twice already," Patterson said. "It is right in line with rising food costs; it's getting harder for students to be able to get food."

The campus receives food donations from various local food banks, food drives and others. For the second year, volunteer Joe Bilka has been helping Ivyside Eats by getting DelGrosso Foods, Christ Community United Methodist Church and Llyswen United Methodist Church to donate food.

As a DelGrosso's part-time employee, Bilka approached them last year asking if they would donate a case of sauce a month. During the academic term, DelGrosso Foods donated 500 jars of sauce and now they also supply spaghetti. In addition, Bilka is a member of the churches and picks up donations from them and delivers the donations to the pantry on campus. Last year, Bilka weighed the donation containers and estimated that they supplied more than 1,000 pounds of food and products.

"We're committed again to doing the same thing," Bilka said of this year's outreach.

'Can't learn if you can't eat'

Throughout her time managing the pantry, Patterson has come across students who would only eat three meals a week because they didn't have access to food. One student didn't have the money to buy laundry detergent to wash their clothes and would skip class because they were embarrassed that their clothes were dirty.

"Student's aren't going to learn or succeed if they don't have access to getting their basic needs met. You can't learn if you can't eat," Patterson said.

While in college, students are responsible for paying for a variety of expenses and receive money through scholarships or working a job in between school hours. Patterson said when students receive student loans and other income, they put it toward paying bills like tuition and rent. Food is the last item to cover on their list and it's expensive, she said.

Bilka and Patterson said it's important for people to understand the impact food insecurity has on college students and their academic success.

"If we want them to be successful, if we want them to graduate, if we want them to stay in our communities and work in our communities, let's help them eat, because what they will give back to our communities is tenfold of what we're giving to them," Patterson said.

'We're a family and we're a home'

Abby Marian, a fourth-year environmental science student, helps stock the shelves and keeps inventory at Ivyside Eats. She said she spends a lot of time and uses a lot of resources in the Belonging Center and wants to give back.

"Helping people means a lot to me. Making sure my fellow peers are doing well and Penn State likes to claim we're a family and we're a home and we really are. Part of that is taking care of each other," Marian said.

The Ivyside Eat's pantry also has a location in the downtown campus for students along with grab-and-go tables that are scattered around if students don't have the time to stop by the pantry.

As Bilka and Patterson continue their efforts to support students' needs, Patterson said she is networking with food banks and trying to grow their supply of food. Something that Patterson and the university's case manager, Sarah Laird, are working on is creating cooking videos with the pantry food to show students what they can cook and have access to.

As students go through the school year and spend time on campus, Bilka and Patterson want them to know they have a community who is willing to help them in any way they can.

"These aren't just Penn State students, they are people in our community. These kids come from Philly and all over, but when they're here, they're ours," Bilka said. "And I think we have a moral obligation to provide the basics so that they can fulfill the reason they came here."

Anyone who is interested in donating food or hygiene products or setting up a food drive for Ivyside Eats should contact Patterson at 814-949-5123 or sap406@psu.edu

Mirror Staff Writer Jayla Nartatez is at 814-946-7535.