VCU news

By Amelia Heymann

Virginia Commonwealth University students who use the Ram Pantry have access to more fresh fruits, vegetables and prepared foods thanks to a partnership with Birdhouse Farmers Market, a community-focused operation that neighbors the VCU campus.

The partnership started in October 2023 through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Molly Harris, owner of Lulus Local Food, a software company that helps local farmers and food markets use e-commerce to reach customers, applied for and was awarded the grant from VDACS.

“This is a unique USDA program designed to support procurement and distribution of Virginia grown food to underserved communities. We are thrilled to partner with the farmers markets and food hubs to help build and expand economic opportunity for local producers.” Kate Ruby, manager for Birdhouse Farmers Market, said the grant aligned perfectly with its mission of both helping farmers and improving food accessibility to those in need.

“We want to make sure that we have the ability for everyone to access good, healthy foods,” Ruby said. “And that’s why we’ve always accepted SNAP” – the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

The grant, through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, provides money for food pantries to buy produce directly from local farmers. This ensures that farmers get paid and that food banks can acquire what their clients need most.

Lisa Mathews-Ailsworth, VCU’s assistant director for student support, said the school was approached by Birdhouse Farmers Market and Lulus with the partnership opportunity. Harris said one reason they reached out to Ram Pantry is because she noticed that many VCU students were coming to the Second Baptist Church Food Pantry in Randolph, a neighborhood adjacent to campus that is also home to the farmers market.

“We’re just very fortunate that she chose us over the other hundreds of pantries that are located in the Richmond area,” Mathews-Ailsworth said.

With no funding from student tuition, Ram Pantry relies fully on donations, Mathews-Ailsworth said. The service can’t receive prepared food donations from individuals and instead must purchase them through vendors. The grant-funded partnership allows the pantry to obtain these higher-priced items and provide a greater variety of food for students.

“Our clientele are much happier,” Mathews-Ailsworth said. “A lot of our foods that are donated are nonperishables, and everything [the farmers market] donates is perishable, so it’s nice to have fresh food available to our students.”

Dating to 2013, Ram Pantry promotes food security among VCU students. It started as an off-campus student organization but became an official service of the university in 2018.

In 2023, Ram Pantry moved to a location at 930 W. Grace St. in a building shared with the Free Store.

“We have a lot more square footage,” Mathews-Ailsworth said. “We’re a lot more centrally located and just have a bigger footprint on campus” – including through Little Ram Pantry kiosks scattered on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses.

In addition to the new location and Birdhouse Farmers Market partnership, Ram Pantry is receiving new support from VCU Business Services, which recently became the first department outside the Division of Student Affairs to fund the operation. Business Services, whose units include dining services, is providing a long-term funding commitment that largely will be used to purchase food from Feed More, the regional food bank serving Central Virginia, as well as propel the Little Ram Pantry program.

Mathews-Ailsworth emphasized the need for the pantry at VCU. While financial aid may cover the cost of courses, many students still need to pay for housing and food. In 2020, Youngmi Kim, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Social Work, led a study that analyzed food insecurity on campus. It estimated that 1 in 3 students could be food insecure – and Mathews-Ailsworth said the number is likely higher.

“They’re having to choose between buying books, buying food, or paying their bills. For a lot of them, unfortunately, food becomes the last thing on the list,” she said. “So we’re trying to help them with that.”

Ram Pantry accepts drop-off food donations during operating hours and direct donations online. Donors also can purchase items from its Amazon wish list.