CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The letters SOS are an internationally signal call for help. But close to home, SOS also points to the needs of the food pantry at Austin Peay State University, where it stand for Save Our Students.
The S.O.S. Food Pantry has been helping students since 2012 with free food and has expanded over the years to provide other items and services. Any student with an Austin Peay ID has access to the food pantry.
It all began in a closet at the university’s student life office with a group of graduate students who saw a need. The food pantry is now in the basement of the APSU Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement.
“Students can access the food pantry once a week and we try to provide three days worth of food each week for each member of your immediate family that lives with you. We want to make sure there’s enough food in the house for the people you care about,” said Alexandra Wills, director of the center and the food pantry.
Food can also be delivered to students within a 7-mile radius of campus if they aren’t able to visit the food pantry.
How you can help
The food pantry accepts donations, and they are looking for pasta, frozen and canned meats, dairy products, rice, and canned, frozen or fresh fruit.
Along with nonperishable items, the food pantry has refrigerators and freezers to take care of those foods. There is also always a need for toiletries, hygiene items and cleaning supplies for students.
In the past, the food pantry accepted donations of clothing and household items, but with the COVID-19 pandemic they are not accepting those items. Wills said they may take those donations again in the future, but right now they are using all their space for food.
Along with monetary donations, the food pantry accepts grocery store gift cards. Visit apsu.edu/advancement to make an online donation. With the pandemic Wills said there has been an increase of food insecurity for APSU students.
About the chickens
The food pantry is dedicated to offering free healthy food options, which brings us to the chickens and the garden. “We have about 15 chickens which provides us with fresh eggs on a daily basis and we give those eggs to students,” said Wills.
The chickens are funded through yearly sponsorships with the “Help a Hen” program, where individuals or organizations can sponsor a chicken for a year. They get to name their chicken and get monthly updates on how their chicken is doing with the money going to help with the care of the chickens.
“We also have about 30 garden beds which we adopt out to students to grow their own vegetables, and there is also a new greenhouse which will allow us to grow vegetables during the winter months when students are on campus,” Wills said.
For more
The S.O.S. Food Pantry is at 322 Home St., and they are open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Visit apsu.edu/volunteer/sos-food-pantry, email sos@apsu.edu or call 931-221-6120.