University of New Haven Celebrates Stop & Shop’s Five Years of Supporting Chargers

For Adedayo Adekola ’24 MPH, serving as a graduate student assistant with the University’s Campus Pantry is a meaningful way for him to serve his fellow Chargers while being a part of the University community. The pantry has also become its own community over the past five years – one that has offered an invaluable source of support to students.

Adekola recently explained the importance of the pantry to members of the Charger and local communities as part of an event celebrating the five-year anniversary of the collaboration between the pantry and Stop & Shop. The grocer commemorated the milestone by donating $12,500 to support the work of the pantry.

“Students are the beneficiaries of these resources,” explained Adekola, who manages the Campus Pantry as well as the University’s Career Closet, which provides professional clothing to students free of charge. “It’s important to offer the pantry to help address food insecurity and to provide students resources so that no one will go to sleep hungry.”

‘We don’t want our students to worry about food’

The Campus Pantry provides a wide array of foods, from pasta and canned vegetables to fresh produce, every day. It also offers toiletries such as toothpaste and shampoo. It serves nearly 200 students per month on average, and it provided food to more than 750 students during the Fall semester.

“We are committed to providing resources that increase access to food and ensuring our Charger community members can use these resources when they need it,” said Ophelie Rowe-Allen, Ed.D., vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “We are grateful for the support of Stop & Stop, and the relationship we have built over the last five years to provide nutritious food, enabling our students to focus on their education and pursuing their professional and personal goals and aspirations.”

The University was among the first colleges to be a beneficiary of Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry program, which was established in 2019 to help limit barriers that might impact students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by ensuring consistent access to food. Since then, the University has received nearly $50,000 in support of the pantry.

“Stop & Shop is vital to supporting the pantry and our work,” said Diane Polo ’21 MPH, associate director for health and wellness education and prevention. “We appreciate this relationship, since we don’t want our students to worry about food. This lets them focus on their academics and their goals.”

‘A proactive approach’

Stop & Shop supports more than four dozen school food pantries in Connecticut. The grocer also donated $50,000 to the University of New Haven in 2020 to create an endowed scholarship. Every year, a portion is allocated to support a nutrition sciences student.

“Across Connecticut, many students at all levels are entering class hungry and not receiving the proper nutrition to have an opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Daniel Wolk, external communications manager for Stop & Shop. “For the past five years, we have been proud to partner with the University of New Haven in support of their Campus Pantry, because they understand how important it is to offer their students the fuel they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

Adekola, the Campus Pantry manager, was excited to mark the five-year anniversary of the partnership. He has seen what a meaningful impact it has had on the lives of his fellow Chargers, and he hopes the community recognizes what a vital resource the pantry continues to be.

“I’m happy we are working with Stop & Shop, and I hope this continues,” he said. “I hope for no food insecurity. This is a proactive approach.”