Maritime College Works to Help Combat Food Insecurity and Help Campus Community

Maritime College is proud to be home to the Privateers Food Pantry, which is open 24 hours a day to all students, faculty, and staff. The pantry supports community members facing financial hardship and food insecurity. Campus departments, including Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and Athletics, refer people in need to pantry coordinator Patricia Norman, who helps them find the pantry on campus and get the items they need.

Recent income and benefit cuts have affected some families, and several commuter students have relied on the pantry. It is also a resource when students are on campus during seasonal breaks and dining services are closed. Maritime is home to many international and EOP students who are unable to travel home, and the pantry gives them a place to turn when they need it.

The pantry is stocked year-round through funding from SUNY and food donations from Christ Jesus Baptist Church, a Bronx-based parish. When donations ran low in the past, the college hosted food drives. That has since stabilized, and while the number of students in need has decreased, faculty and staff use of the pantry has increased.

"I stand by 'No student should go hungry. Every student deserves to succeed in life, and in doing so, they can focus, achieve and succeed,'" said Norman, who serves as Privateers Food Pantry Coordinator and SNAP Coordinator. "That applies to everyone, not just students."

As enrollment grows, Norman plans to explore donor partnerships to help keep the most in-demand items consistently stocked. This will allow the college to keep supporting its campus community without scrambling to replace items on short notice or during emergencies.

"SUNY Maritime College's Food Pantry is a great example of how our campus community proactively supports our students who might be facing food insecurities," said Adam Grohman, Dean of Students. "The College's collective efforts in supporting and ensuring nutritional equity with the food pantry and due to the ardent and tireless efforts of Ms. Patricia Norman and her student team members, our students are afforded the ability to focus their energies on their academic and professional goals, not their next meal."