Photos courtesy of the Promise House
Food insecurity among college students is a hard concept for some to fathom, but the problem exists, and is more widespread than we might like to believe.
According to a 2016 report by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness, about 20 percent of students attending a four-year institution struggle with food security.
In winter 2015, when a group of Otterbein University students noticed food insecurities throughout campus, the concerned scholars teamed up with faculty and staff to open a food bank.
Today, the Promise House is a student-led organization overseen by Stacey Rusterholz, assistant director of campus life, with the help of Rachel Scherzer, an AmeriCorps VISTA employee whose host is Otterbein. Both started their positions in summer 2016, right after the house opened in spring 2016.
“We were kind of building the car as we were driving it,” Scherzer says. “We had students coming in for food while we were trying to figure out what the policies were. … But the need is so persistent and the students were already there. There was no way we could say, ‘Let’s put on the brakes.’”
Rusterholz and Scherzer keep the house sustainable by facilitating food donations from churches and other community groups, creating new partnerships and promoting the pantry throughout campus.
"We want to create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable,” Rusterholz says.
They have also implemented policies by asking students to fill out a membership form, but there are no eligibility requirements. Rusterholz says this eliminates stigma associated with food insecurities and creates a welcoming environment.
“We want to create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable,” Rusterholz says. “We recognize that financial situations change very quickly in college … and we just want to be there, no matter what those situations are, to help support students.”
More than 250 students are now members of the organization, says Stephanie Ohalek, a junior majoring in allied health and Promise House volunteer coordinator since the beginning.
“We hope that having everyone become members … would help reduce that feeling,” Ohalek says. “We don’t want anyone who comes to the Promise House to feel bad about themselves.”
The Promise House has held free food events to encourage students to visit, and variable shopping hours are held once a week. Recently, the organization has started providing classes for students on topics such as financial wellness, time management and even other resources on campus that can be utilized.
“We could connect with other students interested in these topics and potentially make some big changes in society.” - Scherzer
Those extra resources turn a food pantry into a comfortable space where students can gather and learn, Rusterholz says. Scherzer adds the organization is doing more than just providing.
“The Promise House isn’t just providing the things that people need. It’s also creating awareness and advocacy about poverty, about food insecurities, about those … bigger societal issues,” Scherzer says. “And we really want students to support each other. That is where the Promise House came from.”
Erick Martinez, a junior studying systems engineering, helped establish the Promise House his freshman year, and is now the student organization outreach coordinator. He encourages other campus organizations to collaborate with the house.
“(The Promise House) shows students that the campus is willing to do what is necessary to help give students the extra hand or help needed to help them succeed,” he says. “You don’t need to worry about who’s looking at you or what other people think. We’re all here to help each other.”
Martinez says his favorite part is seeing the smiling faces of the students who appreciate what the faculty, staff and student volunteers are doing with the Promise House.
Promise House volunteers participated in Otterbein's Community Plunges, all-day services events held three times a year, which allows students to learn about neighboring ares and make a difference.
“It helps to know that the work we’re doing is actually helping people,” he says.
To help students further, Rusterholz and Scherzer are thinking up new ideas for the future of the Promise House.
“We have a lot of different ideas about where we could be going,” Rusterholz says. “Just other ways we can support students going through challenging times. (We’re) thinking about some sort of scholarship we can offer or maybe even mini grants.”
In terms of a big picture goal, Scherzer has dreams going beyond the campus walls.
“(We want) to have more students as advocates and working on breaking down those socioeconomic barriers, working on alleviating poverty as a bigger issue … not just on our campus but more broadly,” she says. “We could connect with other students interested in these topics and potentially make some big changes in society.”
Rusterholz thanks the students who have helped make Promise House a reality over the last two years.
“It wasn’t overwhelming,” she says. “Rachel and I both have a strong interest in this area, and we have a great, great group of students who are very passionate about this because they see the need every day.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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