Winona and Red Wing, MN (July 1, 2026) – Hunger doesn’t take the summer off.
While Minnesota State College Southeast serves
fewer students during the summer months, its food pantry is still open three
days a week on the Winona campus.
Come fall, when the
pantries resume regular hours of operation on both
campuses, students will have even greater support and resources thanks to
two generous donations.
The Taylor Family Farm Foundation awarded Southeast a $17,000 grant to help with the
cost of purchasing high-quality, nutritious food options for
Southeast students. A separate, $5,000 donation from the Foundation for Essential Needs, will help the college purchase a new freezer, allowing
more storage capacity for frozen food options.
“This past school year saw unprecedented usage
of both campus pantries,” said Tracy Rahim, Southeast’s Student Life and
Basic Needs Coordinator. “We served more than 250 students and
distributed more than 10,000 pounds of food during spring semester
alone. These grants and donations are our lifeline to ensure that we meet our
mission of building a supportive campus community by providing supplemental
food support to enrolled students in need."
The grant from the Taylor Family Farm Foundation
will allow Southeast to re-open its Virtual Food Pantry this year,
which serves students taking online classes who do
not reside in Winona or Red Wing and cannot easily access on-campus
food pantries, Rahim said. The Virtual Food Pantry suspended operations
after spring semester 2025 due to a lack of funding and increased demand
for food at the on-campus pantries.
Rahim said the new freezer will significantly
expand the college’s capacity to serve students, giving the college more space
to store frozen protein and frozen produce items from the food bank. While
these resources are often available at little to no cost, the supplies
available have historically exceeded the pantries’ storage capacity.
"The added freezer will allow the
pantries to fully take advantage of these offerings, resulting in both cost
savings and improved food variety,” Rahim said. “The savings can be redirected
to meet other student needs, while increased access to protein-rich foods,
fruits and vegetables will better support student health, academic focus, and
overall well-being.”
A 2023-24 study conducted by Temple
University’s Hope Center for Basic Needs found that 41% of college students nationwide (and 39%
of Southeast respondents) experience food
insecurity. Many reported skipping meals or eating
less food than they should because they could not afford
it.
“By addressing immediate needs of all students
no matter where they are located, we aim to create an environment where
students can focus on their studies without the added burden of food insecurity
and other basic needs,” said Rahim.