Metropolitan State University of Denver's food pantry seeing triple the need since last year
A food pantry on campus at Metropolitan State University of Denver has seen three times the number of students over the past year, and it comes a year after the pantry expanded its space.
Last year, Rowdy's Corner expanded from a 100-square-foot office to a 1,000-square-foot space. The corner provides free groceries to all students and today, it's helping feed students, as inflation continues to make an impact and costs of food remain high.
Damarley Laing is one of more than 700 students who stops by to get food from the corner weekly.
"Just coming here and having that helps me greatly, performing in class and all that good stuff throughout the day," said Laing.
Like many other students, it's a challenge for him to cook daily or access fresh food.
"I don't have time to make breakfast and sometimes you don't even have anything in the fridge," said Laing.
Rowdy's Corner is responding to the growing demand on campus. However, with their expansion last year and current times of inflation, they're also seeing significantly more students.
Angelica Marley is the student store manager. She said there are about 14,000 transactions every week.
"Since our expansion, we've seen over three times the amount of students than in our old space," said Marley.
Food insecurity is something that one in three college students face, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
"There are just a lot of folks facing food insecurity, and this is one way that we can address food insecurity," said Marley. "Having this here is a way for people not to have to worry so much."
Marley added, that the space prior to the corner, was also small and could be intimidating for some people.
"It was kind of like a closet, and a lot of stigma behind it, it was kind of was uncomfortable to go into and ask for the things that you need," said Marley.
Now, Rowdy's Corner resembles a convenience store, encouraging students to embrace the support.
So, whether it's fresh produce, snacks, drinks, or ready to-go meals, the corner is helping hundreds.
"With everything that's happening currently, it's just a major help," said Laing. "We can definitely just depend on this and focus on our school work."
Rowdy's Corner works with partners like local farmers and Ent Credit Union to fulfill the needs and supply food.
As the need continues to grow, Rowdy's Corner hopes to partner with more people and organizations in the future.
