As the end of the spring 2016 semester draws near, some MTSU students will need help with nourishment to sustain them through their studies and their upcoming final exams in late April and early May.

MTSU Student Food Pantry Coordinator Becca Seul stands in the pantry in front of shelves of canned vegetables. The pantry is in need of more convenient, portable “food for finals” now as students approach the end of the spring 2016 semester. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

The MTSU Student Food Pantry in Room 210 of the Student Services and Admissions Center, commonly known as the MT One Stop, is running low and needs donations of just about every conceivable kind of food that can be transported conveniently.

“This is when visits to the pantry pick up, when students get to the end of the semester, running out of meal plans,” said Becca Seul, food pantry and MT One Stop coordinator.

“They’re more likely to come here to get help.”

While the pantry has a wealth of canned vegetables, students’ hectic schedules and the fact that many of them commute prompt them to choose more portable food that needs little or no preparation.

These items include granola bars, water, juices, Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese cups, pudding cups, muffins, raisins, fruit cups, crackers and popcorn.

The number of homeless and low-income students on campus has almost tripled in the past two years, Seul added, noting that close to 100 students currently qualify as homeless or at risk.

The university’s homeless and foster care students stay on campus throughout the summer semester.

Click on the logo to make a financial donation to the MTSU Student Food Pantry.

“Students who go to class hungry are less likely to succeed,” she said, “so we want to make sure that they are as poised for success as possible.”

Students who want to obtain food pantry items need only go to the second floor of the MT One Stop and present a current student ID and a current class schedule.

“We chose to do that because it’s very difficult for students oftentimes to access food pantries off campus,” said Seul.

For more information, contact Seul at 615-494-8910 or becca.seul@mtsu.edu. To make a monetary donation, go to www.mtsu.edu/foodpantry/donate.php.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)