SUU Biology Club Helping Keep Thunderbirds Fed

Southern Utah University's Biology Club just collected almost a half ton of food (1,000 pounds) for their club's holiday food drive, nearly doubling the SUU student food pantry's current stock.

SUU Biology Club advisor Whitney Hoff said the success rate of this food drive was nothing short of remarkable. “Biology faculty and students, club members or not, donated to help others during this holiday season," said Hoff. "I'm proud to be a part of such a giving department."

The SUU student food pantry, called the HOPE Pantry (Helping Our People Eat) provides essential food and toiletries to students of SUU and Southwest Tech. It also provides education on food budgeting, meal prep and cooking skills, and encourages student engagement to work toward solving food insecurity and waste in their communities.

The SUU Hope Pantry opened in 2002 as the first on-campus pantry in the nation to help support students experiencing food insecurity. Since the fall of 2019, the HOPE Pantry has seen over a 1,000 percent increase in use; for the 2022-23 school year alone, the pantry had a 77 percent increase in usage. Currently, up to 250 students stop by weekly, where each receive up to $50 worth of food and toiletries.

Students can access the HOPE Pantry on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. in Room 120 of the Sharwan Smith Student Center. Learn more about the HOPE Pantry at suu.edu/hope-pantry.