Nursing and health science students prepared for a future in healthcare on Friday, Nov. 14 at the Roo Pantry Power Hour.
Kangaroo Pantry located in the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center is available for any student through appointments or a walk-in after 3 p.m. They are partnered with Harvesters, Highland Dairy, C&C Produce and other local food banks to provide accessible food on campus.
The event was exclusive to the nursing and health science students or those a part of that Living Learning Community, however any student or organization can volunteer for Roo Pantry.
“It’s to encourage community within the living learning community. Getting students to think outside of their bubble and to help provide a really nice place for students to come and get food,” said Jacqueline Eiben, Program Manager at the School of Nursing and Health Studies.
Around 23% of undergraduate students have experienced food insecurity. Those who are can become faced with choosing between food and academic success.
“Having to eat ramen and be hungry in college should not be a norm, it should not be a rite of passage. If you want to succeed in your classes, you deserve access to nutritious food at no cost,” said Carlen Fidler, Food Assistance Coordinator at Roo Pantry.
Future healthcare workers were able to give back to the community and classmates through participating in the reset. This involved cleaning around the pantry and organizing new donations.
“We have a very high trafficked pantry so we want to make sure that we’re staying hygienic and following all food safety standards and protocol. Food is medicine, food is transportation, food is health care, food is workforce development,” said Fidler.
Access to nutritious foods is interconnected with student success. Those who are food insecure were 43% less likely to graduate from college.
“It’s not embarrassing to come here. While you’re some type of healthcare professional, you’re volunteering your time and sometimes you have to do more than just medicine and I think this is a good representation of that,” said Madeline Garlick, a freshman pre-nursing in attendance.
