Dear Editor and Student Body,

Food insecurity is a crisis running rampant both on the national level and right here at home. Food insecurity on college campuses ranges from nine to 50 percent. In 2016, 3.3 million low income college students were at risk for food insecurity.

In 2018, the Greensboro and High Point areas were ranked in the top five percent metropolitan areas in the nation for food insecurity. Like any good community advocates and activists, we know that national change is best executed when it starts locally.

The Quaker Cupboard exists to provide everyday services for those right in front of us. Since the club exists on the grounds of Guilford College, our primary concern is to meet the needs of our students. One of the ways in which we meet these needs are through the active pursuit of donations from local grocery stores.

We receive a weekly donation from Sprouts and are currently pursuing donation agreements with Walmart and Trader Joes. These donations have added up to a total of 2,721 pounds of food received from local vendors, a way to meet the continuing needs of our campus.

An average of 26 people use the cupboard every day and over 500 people used the Quaker Cupboard last month. Considering the ratio of students that use the Quaker Cupboard in relation to the number of total students on campus, we serve about 45 percent of the student population.

Despite our execution of meeting the students’ needs on campus, we feel a lack of support from the GSBA board members. After spending the entire semester in talks with the GSBA board and presenting them with all of the data they requested, they have refused to give us the funding we need in order to keep our shelves stocked. Considering the fact that the GSBA’s budget is created by the $190 per semester student activity fees that we each pay, we feel this money should be returned to the students in a way that is helpful and resourceful.

Seemingly GSBA’s only reason for refusing us a full budget is that food insecurity is a larger issue that we should attempt to fix instead of using the QC as a “band-aid.”

The Cupboard addresses an immediate need in the community, and if GSBA withholds resources from this club in order to address the national issue of food insecurity, many Guilford students will go hungry. The Quaker Cupboard’s goal is to help our community where there is a need.

GSBA officers were elected by that same community and we believe it is their responsibility to do what is best for the student body, something we do not believe they are currently doing. We feel our club should be receiving more support, funding and resources than we are currently obtaining from GSBA.

We are writing this letter with the hopes of grabbing the attention of our students who recognize and honor the value that the Quaker Cupboard adds to this campus, as well as to shed light on an issue that we may not be alone in.

If you would like to support the Quaker Cupboard in our efforts to serve the community, please consider reaching out to GSBA, or attending the weekly community meetings next semester to voice your thoughts.

Wishing everyone warm regards and a happy holiday.

Peace,

Anna Honer and the QC Staff