Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts has partnered with the School Street Food Pantry in an effort to support the needs of currently enrolled college and trade school students in the Bloomington-Normal area who are experiencing food insecurity.
From Monday, December 2 through Wednesday, December 18, Fine Arts faculty, staff, students, and guests attending upcoming events will have the opportunity to donate nonperishable and personal care items and compete as part of a school/program team to collect the most items. Collection boxes will be placed in the following areas:
- Center for the Performing Arts lobby (CPA)
- Julian Hall, room 57 (School of Music Office)
- Milner Library, room 111A (School of Theatre, Dance, and Film office)
- Center for the Visual Arts, room 138 (Creative Commons)
- Center for the Visual Arts, room 204 (Wonsook Kim School of Art office)
Wish list items include: canned tomatoes, pasta and pasta sauce, boxed cereal, spices, gluten-free foods, and rice, as well as non-food items such as personal care items, soap or body wash, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, laundry detergent, dish soap, and deodorant. Items must be nonperishable, unexpired, and with no visible damage to the packaging.
School Street Food Pantry use has risen significantly. From August 1 to October 25, it has seen 1,563 students (some who have attended multiple weeks), an average of 130 students served per week. This is an increase from 1,319 total and an average of 101 students served per week for the same period in 2023 and 1,180 total and an average of 91 students served per week for that period in 2022. Also, for this time period, 248 new users have signed up in 2024, up from 229 in 2023 and 200 in 2022.
Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food in a socially acceptable manner. Some of the national data on student food insecurity demonstrates how challenging hunger can be to our students’ success or struggle. Students who experience food insecurity experience a greater risk of academic failure including lower GPA, failure to persist, inability to fully participate in their educational experience, and higher rates of mental health issues.
According to a 2021 Johns Hopkins study, food-insecure learners are about half as likely (43%) to graduate from college than their food-secure peers. The study also showed that students in high-risk categories, such as first-generation students, also struggle to finish school. Only 47% of students who were both food-insecure and first-generation students graduated from college, compared to 76% of their food-secure, non–first-generation peers.
The Center for Integrated Professional Development offers required and suggested syllabi statements, including one for students’ basic needs. Instructors are encouraged to use these to provide valuable information to students.
The School Street Food Pantry is located inside Normal First United Methodist Church at 211 N. School Street. The church is immediately north of Milner Library on the Illinois State University campus. The pantry is open for distribution from 4-6 p.m. each Friday from August through May.
Alumni and friends of the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts who would like to participate in the Fine Arts food drive may also drop off food items at one of the locations listed above during regular office hours Monday through Friday, 8-4:30 p.m. For those who live outside of the Bloomington-Normal area, please email the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at FineArt@IllinoisState.edu for information about how you can help the School Street Food Pantry.
