Utah State University’s Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) on the Logan campus is collaborating with the Utah Food Bank and Cache Community Food Pantry to launch a mobile food pantry available to both students and the broader public.
The mobile pantry will open once a month from 9-10 a.m. (or while supplies last) in the Maverik Stadium parking lot off Lars Hansen Drive in Logan. The first five dates include:
- May 13.
- June 10.
- July 15.
- Aug. 12.
- Sept. 9.
Subsequent dates will fall on the second Tuesday after the first Monday of each month.
Kaiah Thomas, SNAC student co-director, explained that the goal of the initiative is to assist community members and students in need with one box of perishable goods per household.
“Each box will include produce and other goods like dairy, eggs or bread that are often expensive and difficult to come by for people experiencing food insecurity,” Thomas said. “Having a resource to get those types of foods to your family can be huge. Hopefully, we’ll make a difference for people in need of what the program is offering.”
The mobile pantry will have both a drive-up line where volunteers load food directly into cars as well as a walk-up line. The pantry will be located next to the Cache Valley Transit District Route 2 bus line at the Blue Square stop, 1111 N. 800 East. To get food, attendees sign a simple income verification form that does not require ID or other documents.
The idea for the mobile pantry came from the Utah Food Bank, which proposed the idea in February after recognizing that Cache Valley has more need for food resources than is currently available.
By starting a mobile pantry, USU and its partners can both open a new location for food and focus on perishable items. While the mobile pantry run by SNAC, the food is provided by the Utah Food Bank, and the Cache Community Food Pantry is promoting and potentially helping staff the pantry.
For Thomas, the pantry is also the capstone project for her bachelor of science degree in dietetics.
“We’re eager to begin,” Thomas said. “Some of us are going to visit a mobile food pantry in Salt Lake before ours opens to see how they run things and get our feet under us. It’s been really fun to organize and plan this project while anticipating things like what we’ll need and how many people will attend. I’m just excited to see how it will make a difference in people’s lives and in the community.”