“I have one of the best jobs in the world,” said Ambre Hobson, Assistant Director for Student Success in the UF Dean of Students Office. “I get to witness or help in the bringing of food and supplies into the pantry, and then I get to witness people putting in their baskets and actually taking it out of the pantry. So the actual direct connection between my action and helping a person is so evident in this work. It’s really incredible.”
that one of those obstacles is food insecurity,” the assistant director said. “I can imagine that trying to study for a physics exam on an empty stomach is really difficult. Studying for a physics exam at any time is difficult, let alone when you’re hungry.” The pantry offers nonperishable foods throughout the year as well as fresh produce grown in the Field and Fork gardens near Lake Alice during growing season from November to mid-June, said Anna Prizzia, program director and campus food systems coordinator. “The pantry provides us an opportunity for that educational piece specifically on food insecurity and food access, but also serves as a client for our production farm and gardens
on campus,” Prizzia said. “All the food that is grown on the farm is given to the Field and Fork Alan and Kathy Hitchcock Pantry and also given to local area soup kitchens and food banks. To stock the shelves of the food bank with nonperishable items, the pantry relies on donation boxes at 17 residence halls, monetary and food donations, and support from the Hitchcock family as well as local Publix Supermarkets which host food drives and provide bulk items comprising half of all donations received, Hobson said. “We cannot operate without incredible generosity from people all across our campus and community,” Hobson said. “The pantry is a huge team effort… it takes all of NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
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