UNMC Counseling and Psychological Services is partnering with the Maverick Food Pantry to improve food security among UNMC students by offering its office in the Student Life Center as a pickup location for pantry orders.
The pantry supports the UNMC and University of Nebraska at Omaha communities with free food and personal hygiene products and connections to other area resources. Starting immediately, UNMC students can complete the pantry request form and opt to pick up their items in suite 2031 of the Student Life Center.
Requests need to be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday each week for pickup on Thursday, and students will be emailed when their orders are ready. The CAPS office is open for pickups between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Marissa Hardin, a Master of Public Health candidate in the UNMC College of Public Health, was the catalyst of the partnership. As she worked on her capstone project on the Maverick Food Pantry’s impact on health professional students at UNMC, Hardin found that barriers to UNMC students accessing this resource included the pantry’s hours of operation and the sole pickup location at UNO’s Dodge campus.
“There are already so many barriers to UNMC students eating a healthy diet due to their academic commitments and limited finances,” Hardin said. “We want to ensure that students can access affordable healthy food options.
“The hope is that this partnership will make use of the Maverick Food Pantry much easier by lowering barriers to program use by offering pickup in a convenient and comfortable space for UNMC students.”
For CAPS, the partnership supports its mission of providing wellness support for all students as they pursue their academic and career goals.
“We know that our students work hard, but at the same time, money can be tight, which leads to hunger,” said Jeff Knapp, director of CAPS. “It is important that we do everything we can to help ensure our students are successful. UNMC students will soon go into our communities and make them healthier; we want to ensure their health and well-being while at UNMC.”
Hardin encourages all UNMC students to consider using the food pantry regardless of their level of need.
“If you feel that you are not able to afford a healthy diet, please use this resource. There is plenty of food available,” she said. “If you have trouble affording sufficient or nutritious groceries, then this service really is intended for you.”
Questions can be directed to the Maverick Food Pantry by email or phone at 402-554-5978. Those who wish to donate funds to the pantry can do so on the University of Nebraska Foundation website.