Stop & Shop and SUNY Old Westbury Reintroduce In-School Food Pantry

SUNY Old Westbury and Stop & Shop today held a ribbon cutting of the school’s new food pantry. The pantry, which will serve over 4,000 Old Westbury students and staff, is being supported by a $7,500 gift card donation from Stop & Shop that will enable the College to purchase the specific food items and other essential products that the students and their families need.

The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was established to help limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. Stop & Shop supports local schools’ existing food pantries or helps them establish a new one by providing gift card donations to help stock their shelves.

“SUNY Old Westbury is excited to reintroduce its Panther Food Pantry in a larger, centrally-located office on campus as we have seen more than a 150% increase in its use over the last academic year,” said Dr. Timothy E. Sams, President. “We are grateful to Stop & Stop for their donation as it will also enable the College to have extended hours of availability for this imperative campus resource.”

“Stop & Shop is proud to support the efforts of SUNY Old Westbury, because no student should have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Daniel Wolk, External Communications Manager for Stop & Shop. “This in-school pantry will ensure students at SUNY Old Westbury will have access to the food they need. Students cannot learn when they are hungry, and we are proud to support the college in ensuring they are fueled for success.”

Stop & Shop currently supports over 170 School Food Pantries across its five-state footprint. For more information about Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry program, visit https://stopandshop.com/pages/school-food-pantry-program.