September 10, 2019, West Long Branch, NJ – Fulfill Brings its Mobile Food Pantry Right onto Campus as Students Return Back to School during Hunger Action Month. About 100 Monmouth University students facing food insecurity came out to Fulfill’s Mobile Food Pantry on Tuesday outside the Rebecca Stafford Student Center to receive food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, as they struggle to cover other costs of living, including funding their education.
“Fulfill, formerly the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, works hard to ensure all students have the nutrition they need to learn. The truth is college campuses are not immune from food insecurity,” said Kim Guadagno, Fulfill CEO and President and former Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. “Fulfill’s Mobile Food Pantry brings healthy food right to students, so food is convenient for pick up. We need to lose the stigma about hunger, because hunger is everywhere, including college campuses.”
Due to the tremendous success of our pilot program at Monmouth University in the Spring, Fulfill has committed to bring its Mobile Food Pantry to the campus the second Tuesday of every month from 11 to 12:30 pm. This is the third time Fulfill brings its “Pantry on Wheels” to Monmouth University. About 200 students received food from our first two visits on campus.
“Food insecurity among college students is real—and Monmouth is no exception,” said Mary Anne Nagy, University Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement. “We know that access to nutritious, affordable foods can be out of reach for many of our students, which is why our community partnership with Fulfill is so important.”
“As college students, we know that financial difficulties and the strains of life in school can be a burden that can prevent students from being able to access food. We are proud of our campus culture of helping one another and see this initiative with Fulfill as an extension of a longstanding tradition of looking out for our peers. The impact and reception are unlike anything we could have ever imagined, and will undoubtedly continue for years to come,” said Mehdi Husaini, Monmouth University student and former student government president. It was Husaini’s outreach to Fulfill that fostered the partnership with Monmouth University to bring the Mobile Food Pantry to campus.
Monmouth University Student Government Association President Mike Fazzino added, “We would not be able to accomplish our goals without assistance from Fulfill. I’ve had personal conversations with various students who don’t know how they’ll pay for their next food shopping trip, or even their next meal. In my role as this year’s Student Government Association president, it is both my goal and my duty to continue to help feed my peers and carry out the Monmouth motto of ‘Monmouth Hawks Fly Together.’”
The “Pantry on Wheels” will also go to Brookdale Community College in Lincroft for the first time on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, from 11:30 am to 1 pm in Parking Lot 5. It is also important to note that our Mobile Food Pantry is possible with the help from Columbia Bank, which covered the cost to repair the awning, enabling us to serve our communities rain or shine.