By Megan Wright

Utica University’s local food pantry, the Tangerine Grove, attempts to be stocked with grab-and-go food items, ingredient based foods to make meals out of, like pasta sauce, noodles, fresh food, etc., and personal care products for students, faculty, and staff year round.

In January 2020, the university opened up the food pantry. However, just as the pantry was getting its footing, COVID-19 hit the country and shut down the grove. With a worldwide pandemic in place, the Tangerine Grove stayed out of operation until November 2021 and has been alive, serving the Utica campus ever since in room B23 in the basement of Hubbard Hall.

For the first few years, the campus food pantry received an annual $3,000 Swipe Out Hunger grant. However, the grant was lost in 2024 and the pantry’s funding has been negatively affected. Erin Kelly, who founded and operates the Tangerine Grove, said with the increased cost of living and food prices more schools are applying for the grant and Utica University did not qualify. The Tangerine Grove is largely dependent on donations: monetary, food and personal care items. 

“I’ve been working with the president since the spring to identify a more sustainable funding source, he has a plan in mind. I’m just not sure where we are in that process,” Kelly said. “I also have another grant that I’m getting ready to submit, which if that comes through, hopefully that will hold us over for the year.”

Kelly has explored the idea of possibly teaming up with a few of Utica’s athletic teams to host fundraisers. For example, fans would bring a can of non-perishable food and get an extra puck at Chuck-a-Puck hosted by Utica Hockey. Finding creative ways to get donations is one of Kelly’s initiatives this year.

Kelly was asked if she had a steady supply of funding what would that money go toward? She said that the biggest expense would be on fresh food, like fruits and vegetables. With a limited budget, the pantry cannot afford to buy food that may go bad before being taken by someone. A better variety of allergy-free food is also needed.

In 2024, the pantry served 140 new clients, which is roughly 10% of the on-campus students. Kelly said a large portion of those 140 clients are international students. 

“[International students] are not allowed to get a work visa until they’ve been in the United States for six or so months, so they can’t work off campus,” Kelly said. “So then their source of money making is working on-campus jobs, but international students are not qualified for Federal Work Study.”

A recent trend at the pantry is more students are reaching for the specific ingredient items rather than the grab-and-go foods. Kelly said it is because people have kitchens to cook, just no way of getting off campus for food and lack of money resources for delivery services.

According to the Student Basic Needs Survey Report conducted by Lewis Kratz School of Medicine, 41% of college students experienced food insecurity between spring of 2023 and summer of 2024 in the United States. The survey revealed that two in five responding students reported experiencing food insecurity. Many of these students need assistance in obtaining food, but are not eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Tangerine Grove peaked in foot traffic throughout the year with 1,270 visits recorded. This is 170 more visits than the prior academic year. Then after the 23-24 academic year there was a large drop off in visits and the number of customers. Throughout the years, Kelly has noticed a trend of more foot traffic in the pantry at the end of semesters, when students are gearing up to go home and students can not afford to buy bulks of food that they won’t go through.

As of early November, the pantry has recorded 80 new clients for the year 2025, without the number of fall 2025 students added. 

The pantry is open from 9 a.m. –  3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, with only two work study students and a handful of volunteers who work one hour a week, there are some gaps throughout the day where the pantry is closed. 

One work study student, Cassidy Doiron, a senior majoring in psychology, said she got involved with the food pantry because her professor, Associate Professor of Psychology Kaylee Seddio,  mentioned it in class. Seddio has given students extra credit for donating to the food pantry and encourages all of her students to volunteer in the pantry. 

“This is my second year volunteering in the food pantry,” said Maddie Zulager, another senior psychology student. “I still volunteer because it keeps the door open for students to be able to come, grab snacks or other products they need.”

Both Doiron and Zulager said they love volunteering at the campus food pantry because it gives them an opportunity to give back and help others. Their work tasks include restocking shelves, checking expiration dates on food and greeting customers going in and out.

With the recent government shutdown, SNAP benefits were not fully paid out at the beginning of November and impacted many students’ livelihood. According to SNAP Data Tables, in 2024, approximately 2.93 million people in New York relied on SNAP benefits, making up 14.7% of the state. 

To donate to Utica University’s Tangerine Grove, go to B23 in Hubbard Hall or contact Erin Kelly at ekkelly@utica.edu.