Members Christian Clark and Sadia Green stand amidst the stocked shelves at Aggie Source, the campus’s food pantry. A recent donation from Harris Teeter grocery store will provide more supplies for the pantry and gift cards for students in need.
North Carolina A&T’s campus food pantry Aggie Source has received a $50,000 grant from Harris Teeter to help students with food insecurity.
This month, the supermarket chain made the first of five yearly donations pledged to Aggie Source Food Pantry, helping to combat food insecurity in the campus community.
Under the agreement, the grocer will provide five $10,000 installments to the pantry through 2026. The funds will be used to purchase supplies, and, upon request, Aggie Source can receive up to $3,000 of each installment in gift cards to distribute to A&T students who have been identified as food insecure or in need of assistance.
Danna Robinson, communications manager for Harris Teeter, said that the company committed to five HBCUs this year for charitable partnerships, one of which was N.C. A&T.
“Through these partnerships, and partnerships with many of our local food banks, we’ve come to understand the number of college students across the country facing food insecurity,” Robinson said. “When college students struggle with food insecurity, it affects their education. As a food company, Harris Teeter can and is thrilled to do something about this. Our partnerships with on-campus food pantries support student populations with fresh, quality product and ensure they are focus on their studies – not where their next meal is coming from.”
According to a fall 2020 study from Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, 38 percent of students in two-year colleges and 29 percent of students in four-year colleges experienced food insecurity within a 30-day period.
Sadia Green, interim coordinator for Aggie Source, said the pledge will help the pantry provide healthier food options for students.
“We intend to expand by providing more options such as spices, vegan options and fresh produce more frequently. We will also have the ability to purchase goods as needed,” she said.
According to the agreement between Aggie Source and Harris Teeter, the food pantry will receive the funds in five annual installments of $10,000 every April through 2026 to purchase supplies for the pantry.
Long-term, Green says the goal of the full $50,000 donation is “to ultimately improve student’s diet related outcomes and be able to reach each individual population on campus by lengthening our product options.”
Located at 205 Nocho Street, Suite 115 in the old Sebastian Health Building, Aggie Source opened in 2019 in collaboration with the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and Student Affairs. It provides a food resource to all registered students through distributing donated and purchased groceries directly to students as well as partnering with on-campus organizations in canned food drives.
The facility is the first of its kind at A&T.
