Last Wednesday, October 21, NYU’s Global Public Health (GPH) Marketplace Collective set up a matcha bar in the third-floor study space of the department’s Broadway building. With Marketplace volunteers taking on the role of baristas, they served over 80 drinks and offered students snacks from an assortment of cookies. The event was organized as an opportunity to inform the university’s community about the Collective’s Student Food Pantry and its role in promoting food accessibility across NYU’s campus.
Open every Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30pm, the food pantry supplies students with groceries and personal care items. One of a seven-location on-campus pantry network, the Marketplace aims to serve students facing food insecurity and is a part of a university-wide initiative to fulfill every student’s basic needs. Beyond the pantry, the Collective also hosts events for distributing care packages to students and collaborates with other NYU organizations to educate the campus community about the other food services and healthcare resources available to them.
Meanwhile, this effort to ensure that all students are provided for has begun to reach NYU’s residence halls. Last Spring Break, Brittany Hall stocked its communal kitchen with ingredients for those of its residents staying in the city to use, and in April, Lipton Hall encouraged members of its community to donate meals purchased with their extra meal swipes to the Community Care Collective in Washington Square Park. Then, this fall semester, Lafayette Hall proudly reopened its very own supply closet—stocked with non-perishable foods, wellness items, and hygiene products for its residents.
So, if you haven’t already or are facing basic needs insecurity as a student yourself, I encourage you to make yourself aware of the resources on your campus meant to support students just like you. And maybe go a step further to learn about how you can contribute or become involved with supporting members of your community too.
By Lauren Gascon
Lauren Gascon studies Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU and enjoys discussing people’s relationships with each other and themselves. When she’s not on campus, you can find her café hopping, browsing bookstores, or enjoying lunch in one of New York City’s many beautiful parks.
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