Establishing a food pantry has significant impact on the lives of students. It also provides a key entry point for colleges to offer additional services to ensure our students have their basic needs met. This workshop will help students lay the groundwork for starting a food pantry on campus. We'll be going over strategies to gain support on campus through conducting a student needs assessment, tabling, and strategic messaging.

1. So You Want to
Start a Food Pantry?
How to Win People Over To Support Your Cause

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Agenda
• Outline the steps
• Develop your message
• Practice Application
• Next steps
• Resources

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Journey to Opening a Food Pantry
1. Establish a steering committee to lead the program
a. Student organizations
b. Student life
c. Social workers
d. Dining services
e. Financial Aid
f. Facilities
2. Research the level of food insecurity on your campus
3. Win the support of the campus administration.
4. Create partnerships with your regional food bank and with a fiscal
sponsor
Student Government Resource Center

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Messaging
Why is this important and why should I care?

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VPSA Structure
V - Values
Begin by connecting with your audience over shared values.
P - Problem
Introduce the problem you are addressing and explain how it threatens the values
you share.
S - Solution
Tell your audience how the problem can be solved.
A - Action
Give your audience specific examples of an action or actions they can take to
help.
Vision, Values and Voice | A Social Justice Communications Toolkit

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Example
Value
Quality education allows for people to obtain higher paying jobs and be
financially stable in order to support themselves.
Problem
Textbook costs have become a major barrier in students being able to afford
college and complete their degrees. The rising costs of textbooks compromises
the opportunity to pursue education and the American Dream.

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Example
Solution
The Open Education Initiative in Massachusetts has saved students over $1.5
million in text book costs.
Action
Ask your faculty to pledge to switch to open educational resources so that we
can lower the costs of college and ensure students can afford to pursue their
degrees.

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Example - Food Pantry
V - Values
What is the value?
P - Problem
Use national data or what you have experienced on campus
S - Solution
Food Pantry
A - Action
What do you want them to do? Join your taskforce? Take your survey? May be
specific to your audience.

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Let’s Practice!
Flashcards & Values Sheet

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Tabling
1. Use your values message to draw people in & support your cause
2. Conduct needs assessment & collect stories
a. Helps build community & make connections
b. Provide data for your administration

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Needs Assessment
• Adapt to fit the needs of your
campus
• Anonymous
• Points of contact
• Advising, financial aid, cafeteria, etc.
• Online versions
Student Government Resource Center

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Let’s Practice...again!
Tabling

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Sample tabling script
• How might you adapt the script to fit
your campus needs?
• How can you incorporate your
values message here?
Student Government Resource Center

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Next Steps
• Present your survey results to
administration
• Craft a proposal to community
organizations and a foodbank
• Budget
• Timeline

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Beyond food pantries
Campus
• Public services outreach
(SNAP)
• Provide info about food relief
programs in syllabi
• Awareness & reducing stigma
State/System
• Increasing funds dedicated to
basic needs in higher
education
• System policy addressing
basic needs

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• How to Start and Run a Campus Food Pantry
• Food/Fund-raising for your panty
• Visions, Values, and Voice - Communications Toolkit
Resources

17. Thank you!
myang@leadmn.org

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References
Vision, Values and Voice | A Social Justice Communications Toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://toolkit.opportunityagenda.org/building
Student Government Resource Center - Campus Food Pantry Toolkit