CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The S.O.S. Food Pantry at Austin Peay State University (APSU) has put on a fresh face with a new location on campus and expanded services for students. Clarksvillenow.com paid a visit to the new site and spoke with Lena Ziegler, APSU Food Pantry Manager.
The S.O.S. Food Pantry, S.O.S. stands for Save Our Students, actually began three years ago in a closet of the university’s student life office and can now be found in the basement of the Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement building at 322 Home Avenue.
“We’re here to help any APSU student at all who has any kind of need from us. We help students who are traditional, non-traditional, commuters, those who attend the Fort Campbell location, anyone with a valid student ID we are here to help them,” said Ziegler.
Ziegler took Clarksville Now on a tour of the free thrift store which offers free clothing for men, women and children, toys, household items and personal hygiene products. There’s also a garden where volunteers are growing fresh produce and keeping chickens, yes chickens, from which they have just began to get fresh eggs.
There are programs at Austin Peay to help the food pantry operate but there is always a need for donations from businesses and the community. Ziegler said the number of students needing assistance has been growing this summer and donations many times drop over the summer.
Throughout the year the food pantry needs basic staples like canned meat, canned fruit, dry pasta, rice, peanut butter and now they are also taking fresh food donations in an effort to offer more nutritional food.
The APSU S.O.S. Food Pantry is open every Tuesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. throughout the summer. Plans are for the food pantry to be open four days each week starting in September and continuing till the end of the school year.
For more on the S.O.S. Food Pantry at Austin Peay you can visit www.apsu.edu/volunteer, email sos@apsu.edu or call 931-221-6120.