Prize Patrol | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Jules Norwood.

Tomeka Jernigan, left, and Lauren Howard arrange food items at the Purple Pantry. (Photos by Rhett Butler)

    East Carolina University has taken first place and a $10,000 prize in the third annual Collegiate Hunger Challenge, a competition among North Carolina colleges and universities to raise awareness about hunger and food insecurity in the state.

    Pantry Hours and Locations Spring 2022

    Main Campus Student Center

• Location: Main Campus Student Center G-14
• Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. & second Saturday each month, 1-5 p.m.*
• To gain access and/or directions to the pantry, visit the Main Campus Student Center Welcome Desk.

    Purple Pantry Express

• Location: CLCE Suite, Suite 208 Main Campus Student Center
• Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon*

    Mini Pantry

• Located between Mamie Jenkins and Mendenhall

    Health Sciences Campus (HSC) Student Center Purple Pantry

• Location: Room 122A HSC Student Center (Enter through hallway to the right of HSC Recreation Center)
• Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.*
• To gain access and/or directions to the pantry, visit the HSC Student Center Welcome Desk.

    *Note: Hours of operation are subject to change.

    "It's overwhelming. I'm very happy and excited," said Iyaira Williams, a sophomore public health major who served as the student ambassador responsible for leading ECU's effort in the contest. "The purpose of the Collegiate Hunger Challenge was to increase awareness around food insecurity on college campuses, and then connect that to North Carolina as a whole."

    The Collegiate Hunger Challenge was created by Food Lion Feeds and North Carolina Campus Compact, a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility. Institutions earned points based on participation in activities centered on collecting and donating food for neighbors in need or on hunger awareness efforts.

    Williams was chosen for the role of ambassador due to her passion for fighting food insecurity.

    "I'm always very open about my experience," she said. "My mom and me, we used food pantries growing up."

    Now that she's in a position to help, she said, she wants to make sure others know that help is available because a lot of students and others in need may be hesitant to speak up about it.

    "You can't do well in class if you're hungry," Williams said. "We're fortunate enough to be on a campus that already had a Purple Pantry. ... So we just want to promote those (food pantries) to students to make sure they understand the purpose, how they can use it, and that it's free."

    Outreach efforts during the Collegiate Hunger Challenge included social media campaigns, a cooking demonstration, a stress relief day in collaboration with the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center, and participation in the homecoming food drive benefiting the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

    Currently there are Purple Pantry locations in the main campus and health sciences campus student centers, as well as a Purple Pantry Express in the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (CLCE) office and a Mini Pantry outside the Old Cafeteria Complex. The Purple Pantry offers more than just food, including laundry detergent, dish soap, toothbrushes and feminine products.

    Pirate Packs, a prepackaged option developed by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, are still available each week at the Purple Pantry Express.

    Lauren Howard, director of the CLCE, said awareness of the pantry's services is on the rise.

    "Last semester was a historical semester in Purple Pantry world; we had over 400 visits," she said. When it first opened in 2018, referrals came primarily from the Dean of Students Office and the Center for Counseling and Student Development. "But now I think 70-80% of students hear about Purple Pantry from other students. ... That's encouraging to see, and it warms my heart to see how ECU students are looking out for other ECU students."

    For students like Williams, Howard said operating and promoting the Purple Pantry and other CLCE programs provides valuable experience. "It gives them leadership experience and firsthand knowledge of running a nonprofit," she said.

    As for the prize money, future goals include expanding access by adding more locations, raising awareness, and creating a meal plan scholarship to support individual students. Williams said having multiple locations helps to balance visibility with privacy, so that students know the services are available but also feel that they can use the pantry covertly.

    For more information or to support the Purple Pantry, visit the Purple Pantry website, email purplepantry@ecu.edu, or order from the pantry's Amazon wishlist. Purchases are delivered directly to the Purple Pantry. There is also a Hunger Initiatives Support Fund through ECU Advancement.