Proper Use of the Food Pantry

As a college student, the struggle of staying financially afloat can be the most daunting one. After you’ve completed labs, studied for hours or pushed your limit through testing, it would be ideal to come to your room and let worry rest. This is ideal, but not realistic. 
For many students, primarily from lower class backgrounds, lacking common provisions such as food and hygiene products is an unfortunate reality. With the area of Scotlandville itself being a food desert – which is an area in which quality food options are scarce – low income students of Southern University are at a dangerously high risk of food insecurity.
With the introduction of the food pantry, there is a new possibility for these students. The pantry can be used as a convenient resource for students who otherwise would be placed in compromising situations in regards to having stable meals. However, just as with any resource, this has also been misused. 
While no particular group of students are prohibited from using the pantry, just as with any other form of free assistance, it is meant for those who need it. Many of the students who take food from the food pantry not only don’t need it, but waste it. This leaves the students who actually need everything the pantry has to offer with nothing, and that goes against its entire purpose. 
For myself, this has been my experience more often than not. With limited means of transportation, limited funds and my home being nearly 2,000 miles away, food scarcity is an issue I’m always confronted with. The pantry doesn’t only serve the purpose of a place to stop for snacks, at times it’s the only option I have for food. 
This sense of food scarcity is also why some students are forced to either break off from their studies, or relocate to areas that have more options for food resources. It should be taken into consideration by all students that certain resources on this campus are made for a specific purpose. The pantry was made for those who need it, and that’s who should benefit from it most.