Larniecia Smith, a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA, is serving at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, where she addresses food insecurity on campus by increasing the capacity of the on-campus food pantry, Laker Union Pantry. The Lake Union Pantry offers students a variety of things like perishable and non-perishable food and hygiene products. To build capacity for the Laker Union Pantry, Larniecia has been working on volunteer recruitment, work-study training, organization, and fundraising, as well as raising awareness about the food pantry.
One of Larniecia’s most significant accomplishments this service year has been connecting with Roosevelt students and utilizing their input to inform more students about the pantry. When she started her service year at Roosevelt, the pantry was referred to as the Food and Hygiene Pantry. However, not long after she started, she noticed that students referred to the pantry by a different name. On campus, there is a central hub called the Laker Union where students can meet, hang out, work on group projects, or even play pool. Since the food pantry is located in the Laker Union, students had been referring to the pantry as the Laker Union Pantry. After learning about the pantry’s nickname, Larniecia began utilizing the nickname to reach other students. She started contacting departments within Roosevelt to connect and host events to raise awareness about the pantry. She’s even helped form a new student organization, Fala’s Food Organization, which works to help promote the happenings of the Laker Union Pantry.
Although the pantry hasn’t been renamed, students have continued to refer to the pantry as the Laker Union Pantry. Larniecia was even gifted a Laker Union Pantry branded reusable tote bag. Larniecia continues to build capacity for the pantry and has big plans for the future. They plan to relocate the pantry to a more visible location, and Roosevelt is also hosting the Swipe Out Hunger’s Illinois convening in April. Swipe Out Hunger is a non-profit that partners with colleges and universities to lead anti-hunger programs, and this convening is a great way to introduce students to the great work that Swipe Out Hunger does.
When asked what she liked most about serving with her host site, Larniecia said, “My favorite part of serving at Roosevelt is being amongst the students when dining in the dining center, attending the Student Government Association Townhall meetings, and hanging with them at sporting events!”. After this service year, Larniecia plans to do another year with Roosevelt to continue her current work. We’re excited to continue working with Larniecia and seeing her excellent work at Roosevelt.