Food Pantry by and for Law Students to Open in Mondale Hall in January

A food pantry created by Minnesota Law students to help service the needs of their fellow students will open next month in Mondale Hall.

Mondale Kitchen, located in the N20 suite of the subplaza, will provide students with 24/7 access to shelf-stable non-perishables, single-serving ready-to-eat foods, and fresh produce. The goal is to ensure all students have the nutritious food they need in order to advance their academic, professional, and social success.

“Something that the Law Council has been working on for the last two years is making sure we are spending our funding on things that will actually help students,” said Emily Franco, 3L, student organizer of the initiative. “We heard anecdotally from students that they sometimes don’t have access to food, and it’s a struggle to rely on leftover food from events for lunch or dinner. There was also a well-being survey last year in which about 30 percent of students indicated that they do not always have the ability to meet their basic needs, including nutrition.”

While there is already a University-wide food pantry, Nutritious U, the Law Council wanted a pantry that was easily accessible to time-pressed law students right in Mondale Hall.

Mondale Kitchen will not just be for students with financial need, but also for students on-the-go who need to grab something nutritious during a study break. “Time is just as valuable a resource for law students,” Franco explained.

Professor Heidi Kitrosser applauded the initiative. "Food insecurity is a terrible problem locally and nationally, and university students certainly are not immune," she said. "I was proud of the University for starting the Nutritious U Food Pantry a couple of years ago, and I'm equally proud of the Law Council for taking the initiative to start a food pantry at the law school. It's a welcome and important addition to our community."

A support campaign for the initiative kicked off the week before Thanksgiving. Non-perishable food items may be donated at the Law Council’s table in the Subplaza through tomorrow or in N20 through the end of the semester. Financial contributions may be made online through the initiative’s crowdfunding campaign website. With six days left to go in the campaign, the students have reached 70 percent of their $5,000 goal.

If you have any questions about Mondale Kitchen or how you can help, email Franco at franc509@umn.edu.