By Aimee Sullivan, Communications Intern
The Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry, located in the center of the University of Florida (UF) campus, opened in the fall of 2015 to support UF faculty and students facing potential food insecurity.
The pantry describes food security as all people, at all times, have access to enough safe, nutritious, and affordable food for an active and healthy life.
The pantry is free to guests, as all products are donated, and each item is assigned a point value when stocked. Each visit limits shoppers to a set number of points per food group, ensuring fair distribution of items for all.
The Field & Fork team grows about three to four tons of fresh food annually and receives donations from individuals, community events and corporations like Publix.
Donation drop offs are located across UF’s campus, including the lobby of Library West.
One of UF’s largest libraries, Library West welcomes more than 800,000 guests through its doors every year, making it an ideal drop-off location for pantry donations.
“This shows the students we care about their well-being, not just their education,” says Alex Avelino, director of marketing and communications for the UF Libraries.
The permanent drop off bins were added to the first floor lobby between the escalators in the summer of 2022.
“Our collaboration was an element of the work being done by one of the Smathers Undergraduate Interns, working in the area of mental health and student support provided by the Libraries,” says Michael Dietz, head of user engagement and resources for Library West.
Also located in Library West is an internal library pantry, specifically available for the more than 150 student employees across the Libraries. Juliana Rojas, human resources and grants administrative specialist, explains that she had the idea to collect donations for this pantry a few months ago as an additional resource.
Though the Field & Fork pantry is a resource year-round, students may need more support in the first few weeks of school before financial aid reimbursements or toward the end of the semester. Most of these internal donations come from other Library employees, and any items not taken by the student employees are donated to Field & Fork.
“When students complete their hiring paperwork with me, I let them know about the pantry,” Rojas explains. “They are welcome to visit any time, as long as the HR office is open.”
Other UF Libraries Field & Fork drop off locations include the Marston Science Library and the Education Library.