If having enough food is something that people are worried about, the St. Ambrose Food Pantry will help with that burden. The pantry has been around for a little while now, at least 6 years, and allows anyone that feels they need food is welcome to go and shop for food at the pantry. “We simply want to make sure that students have enough to eat so they can spend less time worried about their financial situation and more time studying and preparing for the bright, successful future every one of our students deserves to have,” says Nicole Gant, who works with campus ministry and gave information regarding the pantry.

Nicole says, “The food pantry is open to all St. Ambrose undergrad and grad students without any kind of formal application process. We want students to feel comfortable reaching out for help.” They try to make it as discreet as possible, located out of the way of a lot of foot traffic on campus to help people who are struggling and do not want others to know. As for what you will find in the food pantry? You will find canned goods, cereal, food mixtures, and plenty of other items. 

Many students, faculty, and staff, as well as other food banks in the city, help to keep the pantry running with food donations, “because our entire community is invested in the well-being of our student body, not just campus ministry,” says Nicole. They also order food from the Riverbend Food Bank at a discount. And when Riverbend had a low supply last fall, the staff assembly community hosted a food drive, with a good part of the community giving food to the pantry.

Nicole says, “If there is one thing I would like to emphasize about the food pantry is for students to please feel free to reach out. The services are confidential. We all could use a little boost sometimes, and it takes a lot of courage to reach out and ask for that help!” It is located in the lower chapel and the only thing you need to do is email [email protected] in order to schedule a time to shop for food at the pantry. You can also email them to inquire about more information regarding the pantry, which they are more than happy to provide.