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.