UWO’s on-campus food pantry, which first opened last February to combat food insecurity on campus, has extended its hours for the remainder of the semester. The Cabinet will now operate from 9-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Although The Cabinet has expanded its hours, volunteers are still desired to continue expanding the hours of operation and to better serve the campus community.

The Cabinet was created in response to research done by UWO alumna Joy Evans with the goal of mitigating the effects of food insecurity on the UWO campus.

In some cases, students who suffer from food insecurity may experience side effects that are massively detrimental to students’ academic performance and physical well-being, such as anxiety, depression, low amounts of physical activity and unhealthy weight.

Campus meal plans, which are required for students living on campus, can be very costly. The most expensive meal plan is billed at $1,850, and includes 200 meals and 300 Titan Dollars. The most affordable meal plan sits priced just over $1,000, including 100 meals and 100 Titan Dollars, scarcely enough to eat one meal a day in a dining facility.

“Food insecurity is, in my opinion, such an underestimated issue, and it’s really a big deal,” Evans said last February. “It’s a big deal for this campus in particular.”

Due to the pandemic, The Cabinet was forced to modify and restrict in-person access, allowing only one student in at a time, but has now been able to expand its hours significantly since the semester’s beginning.

The Cabinet now has fresh fruit available for students as well.

“We partnered with the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, and they’ve been able to supply us regularly with food items to keep our shelves stocked for those who are using the pantry here on campus,” Tyler Klaver, Oshkosh Student Association (OSA) office manager said. “That’s one of the new things they were able to supply us with.”

Students can also request a pantry order online through The Cabinet’s page on the OSA website.

Students interested in volunteering at The Cabinet can contact OSA office manager Tyler Klaver or The Cabinet manager Kaitlyn Henry to learn more.