Stop & Shop Partners with NYIT to Open On-Campus Food Pantries

Stop & Shop has donated $10,000 in gift cards to New York Institute of Technology as part of its School Food Pantry Program, which helps to limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by providing students with food assistance to ensure they don't go to class hungry. The donation assisted New York Tech in opening food pantries on its New York City and Long Island campuses. Known as the Grizzly Cupboard, the pantries are located at 26 West 61st Street on the New York City campus and at the Student Activity Center on the Long Island campus.

The food pantries began operating last fall in a pilot program, since most classes were held virtually due to the pandemic. Now that many students are attending classes in person, the food pantries officially opened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Grizzly Cupboard is part of the Bear Bytes initiative at New York Tech, which provides students with food as well as health and wellness resources and information. Bear Bytes is a collaborative effort among partners such as Stop & Shop and internal resources including campus dining, the School of Management Student Advisory Board, and a committee whose members include nutrition experts from the university’s School of Health Professions.

More than half of the New York Tech students responding to a Food Insecurity Survey answered “yes” to having eaten less food than they thought they should have due to not having enough money over the course of a month. In a follow-up question to this group, more than a quarter of students stated that they had eaten less than they thought they should have for more than 10 days in the month prior to taking the survey

“Stop & Shop is proud to support the efforts of New York Institute of Technology. No student should have to choose between food and an education,” said Stefanie Shuman, community relations manager for Stop & Shop. “Some college students are worried about where their next meal will come from, and we want to help them to instead be able to focus on learning,” she added. “This food pantry will allow New York Tech to help students succeed in the classroom.”

“We want to ensure that there is a place for every student to learn and grow—and this is based on our mission to offer access to opportunity to all students,” said New York Tech President Henry C. “Hank” Foley, Ph.D. “Our promise to students is to provide an outstanding experience that empowers them to change the world, to solve 21st-century challenges, and to reinvent the future. We are grateful for the collaboration of so many and the generosity of partners like Stop & Shop on behalf of our students.”

“We value Stop & Shop for its partnership and sense of community, as it will require a collaborative effort to help address this societal need and resolve the problem of food insecurity,” said New York Tech Assistant Provost for Student Engagement and Development Tiffani Blake, M.S., M.Ed., who spearheaded the Bear Bytes initiative. “A healthy lifestyle, including access to food and wellness resources, and education in a stigma-free environment, is essential for students to reach their highest personal and academic potential.”

A National College and University Basic Needs Insecurity Report found that 45 percent of college students surveyed at 123 institutions reported experiencing food insecurity over 30 days. It also found a statistically significant relationship with self-reported poor physical health, symptoms of depression, and higher perceived stress.