The Campus Cupboard sent out an email to all BW students on Monday, Nov. 6, about sign-ups to receive survival kits for Thanksgiving break. These survival kits are full of food and household supplies for those staying on campus during the break.
Alaina Giovengo, a Baldwin Wallace graduate and the coordinator of the Student Resource Center, organized the event. Student resource ambassadors and those who have Americorps internships helped to assemble these kits. They will be distributed on Nov. 21-22.
“Normally, the dining halls are open. There’s more availability and access to those things, but on breaks, that kind of gets cut off,” Giovengo said. “The survival kits are put in place for that.”
These kits are mostly made up of donations the Campus Cupboard has received from students, faculty, as well as community partners. However, Giovengo said the Student Resource Center also uses some of its own budget since not all the donations cover everything that’s needed.
Manimone Sengvoravong, a student resource center amabassor, said they provide household supplies in the kits in addition to food, based on what each student checked off on the intake form sent out via email to ensure each student gets what they personally need. These intake forms are mostly for data and demographics. Giovengo said there was no restriction on who and who was not eligible for these survival kits.
“We understand that not a lot of students can travel home during Thanksgiving break, especially out-of-state and international students,” Sengvoravong said. “Usually, we take canned goods and microwaveable meals and easy-to-make things.”
These survival kits are available during most school breaks, too. Fall break was an exception, as the break was shorter. Giovengo said she would also like to remind students that the Campus Cupboard is always available throughout the school year.
“If they’re going through any kind of hardship that’s money related or food related or just anything that is inhibiting their success in or outside of the classroom, they can come to us, and we can try to connect them to resources that will help them out,” Giovengo said.
The Campus Cupboard is located in the basement of the Union Building and available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can schedule a time to visit to stock up on items they may be in need of. The Campus Cupboard, as well as the survival kits, are free and accessible to all students. Along with the Campus Cupboard, the Student Resource Center also takes care of student emergency grants, Campus Plate, and Swipe Out Hunger, all of which deal with student necessities and ensure each student has enough food and resources. These programs give students support to ensure they are properly equipped to succeed here academically.
