Crimson Cupboard food drive set for this (Homecoming) week, October 7-13.
Crimson Cupboard and Re-Store are two Hastings College student-led campus groups that work to provide students with necessities during the school year. Over the summer, both groups relocated to a larger shared space in the lower level of Hurley-McDonald Hall—giving them more space to better receive donations and serve students.
Crimson Cupboard is a food pantry for all students on campus. For three years, the pantry has provided non-perishable items such as pasta, canned vegetables, fruit, soup, meat, cereal and many other food items.
The Re-Store is a new initiative that provides students with items they may need in their everyday lives, such as school supplies, kitchenware or everyday toiletry items.
Thanks to donations, Crimson Cupboard purchased a refrigerator, allowing it to provide perishable items like milk, eggs and fresh fruit. Students can request food at any time and can pick up non-perishable items as long as the drop-off locations are open and accessible. Pick up for perishable items is limited to Wednesdays from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. and Fridays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Abby Kryzsko, a junior from Hastings, Nebraska, and Courtney Hanson, a junior from Brookings, South Dakota, are co-leaders of the food pantry. Dr. Jean Heriot, professor of Religion and Sociology and director of service learning, is the faculty advisor of the group.
When a student requests food via an online form, Kryzsko and Hanson try to fill the request as soon as possible. After filling a request, they drop the food off in a secure and confidential site on campus.
Food Drive, Donations
To stock the pantry, items are donated to the cupboard through food drives and monetary donations, as well as funds from Hastings College Student Association. During the week of Homecoming, October 7-13, Crimson Cupboard is holding a food drive located in Hazelrigg Student Union with the help of Beth Simoens, coordinator of student activities.
Simoens designed the food drive to be a competitive challenge between athletic teams to bring team pride into donating to a good cause.
Those wishing to donate to Crimson Cupboard to help provide food for students on campus can also give during the food drive in HSU. Food or monetary donations can be dropped off at Heriot’s office in Kiewit 212. For monetary donations, checks can be made out to Hastings College with Crimson Cupboard in the memo line.
Nebraska’s premier private college, Hastings College is a four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
