Pioneer Provisions is a food pantry that is open to students on campus who may not have food readily accessible. Pioneer Provisions’ goal is to make sure that all students on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus are getting the nutrition they need in order to succeed in classes.

Food insecurity and hunger have been a growing issue on college campuses. According to a 2016 survey by CNN, “22% of college students have the lowest levels of insecurity and 48% of college students have experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days.”

The Pioneer Pantry is open to all students on campus. They provide for those living in dorms, juniors and seniors who have lower meal plans and commuters who do not have a meal plan at all. The goal is to make sure that all students on campus are getting the food and nutrition they need to strive in classes and do well academically.

“You need nutrition for academics. You need academics to succeed,” dietitian Stephanie Young said.

The Pioneer Pantry opened in March of 2017 and they have been supplying food to students on campus ever since. As the pantry provides to many students, they need help keeping their shelves filled. They look for donations of non-perishable items and have a list of preferred items that hold high nutritional value. Some of these items include the following: canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned meat or seafood, dried fruits, dried vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain cereals, oats, and peanut butter. Next time you have unopened food laying around that you know you will not eat, think about donating it to the Pioneer Pantry.

Along with donations, the pantry sometimes looks for volunteers to work the table in the pantry itself. They are open Tuesdays from 3:00-7:00 p.m., and they are located at the west entrance of Glenview Commons next to GWAM. They also have an organization on campus, the Pioneer Pantry Club, who assists with running the pantry and making sure the organization stays running.

Don’t let the stigma of going into a food pantry turn you away from getting the food and nutrition that you need. Many people are scared to be seen in a food pantry for the fear of being seen as poor.

“People shouldn’t be scared to use [the pantry], you need the nutrition,” Young said.

For more information on the Pioneer Provisions or the Pioneer Pantry, please check out their website, and contact Mike Ernst at [email protected] or call 608-342-6033 for more information.