Bananas, onions and potatoes. One normally doesn’t put those three foods together, but they are —along with milk, yogurt and eggs, ramen, mac & cheese and microwaveable frozen meals—among the most popular items at the Campus Pantry: Amherst Survival Center at UMass, which recently celebrated its first year of operation. 

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The Campus Pantry, a partnership between UMass Amherst and the Amherst Survival Center, offers weekly, grocery-store-style access to fresh produce and nonperishable foods for anyone affiliated with UMass. Since it opened Sept. 2025, 4,020 individuals and 2,447 households have used the Campus Pantry, totaling more than 27,538 visits. More than 407,000 pounds of food—the equivalent of 339,000 meals—have been distributed.

“The feedback we are getting from participants has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Jake Krain, Campus Pantry manager. “Students and staff are so happy and grateful that the Campus Pantry exists. Many express their amazement at how wonderful this place is. It feels like a grocery store. This matters. It destigmatizes the experience, makes people feel welcomed, and reflects the university's commitment to supporting the basic needs of its students and staff. It has been wonderful to be a part of such a meaningful program on campus and to be able to provide food to people in this way.”

With national data indicating 1 in 3 college students face food insecurity, it’s not surprising that undergraduate students make up the bulk of the visitors, says Krain. Graduate students, staff and household members, and off-campus residents also visit the Campus Pantry. About 3,000 off-campus community members have used the pantry in the past year.

The Campus Pantry’s busiest month was April, when 50,000 pounds of food were distributed, roughly 38,000 meals. In general, the pantry receives the most traffic during the academic year with dips during the winter and summer breaks, according to Krain.

A majority of the food comes from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which provides fresh produce, meat and eggs as well as main staples like rice and pasta. The Campus Pantry also receives donations from the UMass Student Farm.

“The Food Bank is proud to partner with the Campus Pantry to provide about 75% of the food it distributes to students who need extra food to nourish their bodies and minds to succeed academically,’ says Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. “More than half the food we provide is perishables, including frozen meats, dairy, and mostly fresh vegetables from local farms and even Quebec that are harvested in the fall and stored and delivered during the winter months. Healthy pasta, rice, beans, tuna, peanut butter, and more are also stable foods provided—almost all of which is free to the Campus Pantry and all of it is free to visitors.”

The Campus Pantry operates with 3.5 full-time staff members, 21 interns and 140 volunteers.

Nancy Thompson, a clinical instructor in the Marieb College of Nursing, has been volunteering two to three hours a week since July.

“This feeds my soul,” she says. “The staff is amazing and the people who come here are so appreciative.”

Adds Cheryl Sabola, another volunteer also on Marieb faculty, “My first day, my heart melted the whole day. I’m in awe of what they do. It just warms my heart.”

Volunteers commit for set periods of time during Fall semester, January Break, Spring Semester and Summer Semester. A volunteer shift is typically two hours and people commit to the same two-hour shift every week.

The Campus Pantry is open Tuesday and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays noon to 4 p.m. Participants can shop weekly.