by Alana Goodson
Ever since the shiny new Hagfors Center opened in 2018, the Old Science building at Augsburg University has been quiet and empty. This turned out to be good news for Campus Kitchen’s Campus Cupboard, which was previously tucked away in a tiny closet in Foss.
A few students from Campus Kitchen and the Environmental Stewardship Committee sought out approval to turn one of the classrooms in the Old Science building into the new Campus Cupboard food shelf and Share Shop. The space has been transformed. Now, the Cupboard is much closer and more accessible to the students living in the residence halls. But, it is still in a remote location to accommodate for those who want privacy and do not feel comfortable utilizing the Cupboard. It also offers a more spacious environment for the Cupboard to grow and change.
In just one year, The Campus Cupboard and ShareShop have become spaces on campus we are proud of. With couches, string lights, and welcoming smiles at the front desk – it was definitely the upgrade the Cupboard needed. The Shareshop is a place where students can rent or buy items that they may not have space for or will only use once during the semester. Students can even do a test trial on certain items–appliances, utensils, skis, sleeping bags–to see if they will utilize them every day. Having resources like this can lighten the financial burden students may face while also enabling sustainability through sharing.
Overall, the Campus Cupboard has been able to provide nearly 7,000 pounds of food to students since moving to the old science building from October 2019-April 2020. During that time, Campus Cupboard served 438 unique individuals. Before the Cupboard moved there, Science Hall 8 had not seen activity in over a year. Now, students have a new reason to visit the space.
Hunger does not discriminate, and utilizing a food shelf shouldn’t either. The Campus Cupboard is accessible to a wide range of people regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, income, etc. Whether you’re a religion major or chemistry major or athlete or artist, we are all hungry students. Before we can be hungry for knowledge, we must take care of the hunger in our stomachs. Since moving to Science Hall 8, the Campus Cupboard has done just that.