A promise to Otterbein

What was once an issue no one talked about at Otterbein has become a movement to help students who do not have access to food.

 

Haylie Schmoll, a junior public relations and communications major, is the co-founder of the Promise House food pantry. Schmoll says that even though Otterbein has “great programs,” some students were missing meals, so action was needed to help them.    

 

The pantry provides food, school supplies and home essentials to struggling students, Schmoll says.

 

The Promise House is a student-run resource center that is also a food pantry. Otterbein students can come whenever they are in need of food, breakfast, or sometimes homework, says Schmoll.

 

“We offer services to help peers flourish, including a community café, campus food pantry, referrals to community resources, peer advocacy, volunteer opportunities, and educational workshops,” according to the university’s website.

 

The Promise House is located inside an apartment complex where students live on campus. The pantry is located on the ground level of the complex. Promise House founders acquired the pantry space in spring 2016. Their first goal was to destigmatize what it meant to be food insecure, Schmoll said.  

 

Students can come in to take the food and other supplies they need, according to Schmoll. They can also ask for “meal swipe vouchers” that can be used at the dining halls and cafes on campus.

 

The initiative to create the Promise House commenced once the students realized an issue existed. One-third of Otterbein students need more help from the government paying for college.

 

32 percent of Otterbein students are Pell Grant eligible, according to Schmoll. Students can apply for the federal grant and do not have to pay it back, according to studentaid.ed.gov. The government usually issues the grants to undergraduate students.  

 

“Nationally there is a statistic that one in ten college students could be potentially food insecure according to Feeding America,” Schmoll said. That would roughly translate to 300 of Otterbein’s student population.

 

Schmoll says her eyes were opened about food insecurity on campus during her freshman year. Another student approached her and asked if she could give him a “swipe” in order to get a meal at one of the campus dining halls. The student later confessed to previously being homeless and was worried his meal plan might not last throughout the semester.

 

The Promise House has grown in popularity. It’s a great place for students and teachers to meet for discussions, too. The pantry also supplies free breakfast and coffee to its members, Schmoll says.

 

“Food insecurity is very widespread and so I think destigmatizing the issue is the biggest thing,” she says.