Big changes to the St. Kate’s food shelf

The food shelf is a collaborative effort between St. Kate’s and the Sisters of St. Joseph to provide the students of St. Kate’s with a way to access nutritious foods and help fight food insecurity within the student population. Sam Kelly, assistant director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice (CSSJ), and Clara Godoy-Henderson, a NIFA food systems fellow, work at the food shelf to make it an accessible and open space for students who need help.

“Food insecurity is more prevalent than what people may perceive it to be.” Godoy-Henderson ‘22 (Public Health and Social Work) stated. “At Hameline, a small local private university, it is estimated that 48.5% of students were food insecure (Keefe, S. et al. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 2020). The Food Shelf therefore is helping meet a gap or need that has been identified.”

The food shelf is determined to help students meet these basic needs, as fulfilling these needs leads to greater student success at St. Kate’s. Along with providing food, the food shelf also provides personal hygiene products to those who need them.

*Volunteers tending to the CSJ community garden*

This spring, the food shelf moved from the Carondelet Kitchen to Kitchen 101 in the Carondelet Center. This new space is connected to a gathering area, and it is already envisioned to see even bigger changes in the future.

“The Food Insecurity Project hope in the future is to utilize the kitchen for expanded programming around cooking and nutrition education. The vision is that it becomes an inclusive and welcome gathering space to learn how to prepare and cook different meals,” Godoy-Henderson explained. “This future programming is an opportunity to further expand the food shelves services beyond providing nutritious foods and personal care items. This future programming is also an opportunity to connect the community gardens to the food shelf space. The idea, for example, is to harvest ingredients outside from the community gardens, and then walk into the Kitchen 101 space to cook a meal.”

“A huge part of how the food shelf receives fresh produce and builds community is the community gardens,” Godoy-Henderson continued. “Community gardens at St. Kate’s, the CSJs, and other local gardens provided 1,200 pounds of fresh produce in the fall of 2019. The produce is available to anyone who shops at the food shelf.”

*Volunteers of the garden pose with the harvested produce*

These changes come as part of the food shelf’s mission to address food insecurity, nutrition, and personal wellness in both the St. Kate’s and CSJ communities and the larger community itself. It also comes as the CSJs take on a new project to help provide housing for families, but it gives the food shelf room to grow and expand upon their mission and continue their work.

Even with the pandemic, the food shelf continued to serve and continues their work now.

“The Food Shelf has been open during the pandemic, and that has been a priority to continue to find creative ways to serve students,” Kelly and Godoy-Henderson both reflected. “In the beginning of the pandemic, we did pre-order curbside pick-up. We then shifted to in-person, and as numbers increased, we shifted back to food shelf staff completed orders. Thankfully, we are now back to students shopping and coming into the space. This model helps to provide students with more autonomy and allows for a reduction in food waste.”

“The Food Insecurity Project is excited to be utilizing this new space for the food shelf,” Godoy-Henderson said. “Our hope is to transform the food shelf into a community space where we are open to food and conversation and partnering with other organizations including St. Mary’s Health Clinic and Appetite for Change.”

The food shelf is open every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 12-6pm. Kelly and Godoy-Henderson encourage students to use this resource if they are looking for nutritious food or personal care items. Reservations are required ahead of time, but students are able to shop for their own food items that fit both their diets and their nutritional needs. If those times do not work, they are open to working with a student’s schedule to meet their needs.

For more information, visit the food shelf website here or email the food shelf at foodshelf@stkate.edu. You can also follow their Instagram page @stkatesfoodshelf for updates and other helpful tips and information regarding the shelf and their mission.