SCSU Reopens Huskies Food Pantry

Jake Judd KNSI News

(KNSI) – St. Cloud State University celebrated the reopening of its food pantry Monday morning.

The Huskies Food Pantry has been remodeled, adding two refrigerators and two freezers. The cold storage capabilities let the food shelf offer fresh and frozen foods for the first time. The changes are thanks to a partnership with Hope for the Community.

The organization’s president and founder, 1985 SCSU graduate Dr. Alan Goracke, talked about why he decided to step in and help. “I have a soft spot in my heart for St. Cloud State. I met my wife here. I was the president of my college fraternity Delta Sigma Phi and they’re still operating here, so that’s a good thing. And I did service here.”

Goracke says the partnership allows them to use the school’s resources and lets the university focus on what it does best.

Jake Judd KNSI News

“What St. Cloud State is doing is they’re allowing a food shelf to actually use their professionalism, their connections and their buying power to bring the product in. Whereas now the school can just focus on serving students.”

Shipments of food from Second Harvest Heartland Food arrive every Friday. The pantry opened in January 2020 but moved to online ordering with pickup service due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Since the pantry reopened, it has helped, on average, 140 SCSU students and their families per week, with an average of roughly 2,200 pounds of food handed out. The food shelf is in Case-Hill Hall’s main lounge.