By Samuel Hebestreit
With the help of Bellarmine’s Center for Community Engagement and its partnership with Dare to Care, the BU community is learning about food insecurity and finding an option to get career-ready clothing.
Knight’s Pantry and Knight’s Closet are located in adjacent rooms – 225I and 225J - in the Centro Treece Hallway, next to Dean of Students Dr. Leslie Maxie’s office.
Students can also visit the satellite food pantry located in Sienna Terzo 117, which is the kitchenette of Sienna.
Both centers are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If students need to use either center after hours or on the weekend, public safety officers can let them in.
Knight’s Pantry and Knight’s Closet are open to all Bellarmine faculty, staff and students through a partnership with Dare to Care. The grant from Dare to Care also allows the BU community to take items home to family and friends.
Knight’s Pantry started as a student-led food pantry in 2018 after students returned from an alternative spring break trip in Charleston, South Carolina, that focused on food insecurity. Those students realized there was a similar problem in BU’s community.
Instant meals, milk, chips, canned foods, cleaning products and feminine hygiene products are some of the items that can be found in Knight’s Pantry.
Director of the Center for Community Engagement Liz Byron said the most popular items in the pantry are focused on what can be cooked and eaten immediately.
“A lot of feedback we’ve received is about things like boxed macaroni and cheese is that if you don’t include the items that are necessary to make it, like milk and butter, then you can't have a meal,” she said.
Knight’s Closet started in February 2023 as the need for clothes arose on campus.
The closet includes clothing items such as career-ready outfits, scrubs, socks, Bellarmine gear and business casual items like sports coats, all of which are new or gently used.
Clothing items can either be taken or can be borrowed and returned, washed and cleaned.
Byron said students should shop as they would at a normal market.
“We do ask that you fill out a slip in the pantry so that we see the items you took and who you took it home to because it allows us to take it back to Dare to Care, so that we can increase those food and toiletries that we receive from Dare to Care to meet the needs. It is anonymous, but we ask that you fill out your user ID. That helps us identify unique users,” Byron said.
For the students who may feel shy or embarrassed, Student Director of Knight’s Pantry Irlanda A. Flores Argote has an option for students who want to use these services discretely.
“We offer a virtual place as well where you can go and scan our QR code or go to our Instagram where you can do it online and nobody would have to know that you use it,” Argote said.
These centers are meant for everyone, not just those in need, student volunteer Sheyian Coram said.
“You don’t have to be financially unstable to utilize it. It’s open to everybody. Even students who can afford it, they still use it as well,” Coram said.
An obstacle that Knight’s Pantry and Knight’s Closet face is students and faculty thinking they must qualify somehow to utilize these centers.
“Some students and some faculty and staff have said to us, ‘You know, well that’s not for me. I don’t qualify.’ Well, what’s the measure of qualifying? If you’re hungry, you qualify. If you need the clothing, you qualify. So come use the resource,” Byron said.
BU student Sara Peters has used Knight’s Pantry several times and said she thinks of it as a place that always has her back.
“I think they have a very positive impact because it doesn’t just help someone with food insecurity, but maybe in the moment you don’t have enough money on you to get food at the café,” Peters said. “Whether it’s dinner or just a snack, just to have that at your disposal is great.”
Argote said: “We’re very welcoming here. Take anything or everything from the shelves or refrigerator or freezer. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. This is for you.”
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