Pantry

PAYING IT FORWARD: FEED A STUDENT-GROW A DOCTOR

By Yvonne Brown, Board Director, Capital Medical Society Foundation Most of us think of medical students as having the resources needed to take on the expense of medical education. In reality, many students rely on loans and other financial aid to get through school. The time demands of medical school are enormous, preventing students from working part-time jobs. The Florida State University College of Medicine goes to great lengths to attract students who are more likely to choose to serve in rural or other medically underserved areas where recruiting new doctors is a challenge. Often, that means students who come from such communities and have a personal understanding, or a family story, about the great need for more doctors who will choose to serve in areas that are not always the first-choice destination for physicians entering practice. Many FSU medical students are first-in-family college graduates. These remarkable individuals have a heart for service and a desire to go where they are most needed. Most people, myself included, never considered that some of these students are not eating as well as they should because they do not have money in the bank. Their student loans go directly towards tuition and other expenses related to their education. They do not all have family members sending money from home, so some find themselves unable to afford some of the basic things most of us take for granted. Staff recognized this need at the Tallahassee Regional Campus of the FSU College of Medicine and developed a food pantry. Students can discreetly receive necessities such as mac and cheese, ramen noodles, popcorn, soup, crackers, peanut butter, chips, pretzels, “shelf-stable” milk, cereal, and fruit. Students can cook most items with a long shelf-life in the microwave while they are at the campus building. The Student Lounge also has a toaster and a refrigerator. “We have found that there are many students here who suffer from food insecurity, and this is a small way to help provide a quick meal,” said Elaine Geissinger, the campus administrator. Please join the Capital Medical Society Foundation and me in supporting this small but essential food pantry. Financial donations may be made by check payable to the Capital Medical Society Foundation with “FSUCOM Food Pantry” on the memo line and mailed to the CMS office, 1204 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. You may make online gifts at https://capmed.org/donate/ with “FSUCOM Food Pantry” selected in the dropdown. Thank you for helping our next generation of physicians.