When Macalester College Student Government founded the Open Pantry in 2017 to address growing food insecurity on campus, it was a volunteer-run organization ordering groceries from Amazon. Almost a decade later, the pantry has expanded into a comprehensive food resource to help meet a critical need. With 1,300 visits between June and November 2025 alone, the pantry distributed 15,400 pounds of food—a significant increase from 2024’s total of 10,700 pounds.
“We’re on pace to triple the amount of food going out compared to 2024, and more than double the number of visitors,” says Andy Williams, director of Campus Center and programming, who oversees the pantry’s operations.
While disruptions to federal food assistance programs are a concern, Williams says the usage increase is also the result of intentional efforts to reduce stigma, increase access, and raise awareness. The pantry moved to the Campus Center in 2024, and now operates with card-reader access, allowing students to visit anonymously whenever the building is open. Orientation includes a campus tour that stops at the pantry, ensuring students know where it is and how to use it—and that it’s open to everyone.
“The message is: If you think you need it, use it,” says Williams.
The pantry has also broadened its offerings through a partnership with the student-run co-op MacShare. Vouchers now provide access to fresh produce and other staples that the shelf-stable pantry can’t supply. A new $50,000 grant from Hunger Free Campus will continue to support this partnership through July 2027, and a recently formed food insecurity committee is taking a campus-wide approach to identifying and addressing gaps in support.
“While the pantry won’t completely solve food insecurity, we can still do our part to make it less of an obstacle,” says Williams. “The Open Pantry helps students meet one of their most fundamental needs, and focus on what they came to Mac to do: learn, grow, and make good memories.”
