Student  Voice  Lions’     Roar  

Normandale  Community  College  Has  A  Food  Shelf!    The  Lions’  Roar  Student  Voice  staff  showcases  the  exciting  new  community  outreach  program  called  the  Campus  Cupboard.  

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Students from Normandale Community College’s Center for Experiential Education decided to open up a Campus Cupboard. The students heard of other schools opening their own food shelves and thought it would be great for Normandale. They started out by doing an anonymous survey in random classrooms to determine the need for a cupboard. The results of the survey showed that 25% of the 400 plus students regularly come to school hungry and do not have the financial resources to purchase food. They also looked at the Financial Aid Office records and found that more than 300 students self reported that they receive food stamps each semester. “We knew that more than those 300 students were coming to school hungry because people do not always want to share they are in financial need” said Wanda Kanwischer, Assistant Dean of Students. Due to those results the students and faculty involved with the Center for Experiential Education decided it was necessary to open up a food shelf.

~Vera Hills, Lions’ Roar Student Voice  

Shawn  Morrison  is  the  executive  director  at  Good  in  the  Hood  which  is  a  non  profit  organization  that  is  dedicated  to  focus  acts  of  kindness  that  can  help  make  a  difference  in  people’s  lives.    Shawn  Morrison  wanted  to  create  an  organization  that  was  user  friendly  and  something  that  everyone  could  do.    So  in  February  2013,  Good  in  the  Hood  was  started.    With  focusing  on  poverty  and  victims  of  overwhelming  situations  Good  in  the  Hood  helps  people  by  not  only  giving  people  a  hand  out,  but  also  focuses  on  giving  people  a  “hand  up.”    Not  just  doing  things  for  them,  but  doing  things  with  them  and  having  them  invest  in  their  future.    

~Georgie  Anderson,  Lions’  Roar  Student Voice  

Normandale  Community  College  requires  community  service  in  some  courses  or  Service  Learning.  Students  can  satisfy  their  hours  through  a  number  of  different  programs  such  as  the  H.O.M.E.  program  or  the  Second  Harvest  Heartland  organization.  The  Normandale  Campus  Cupboard  is  another  option  for  students  to  volunteer.  The  Campus  Cupboard  is  supported  by  the  organization  Good  in  the  Hood,  which  provides  most  of  the  food.  The  Campus  Cupboard  aims  to  help  students  in  need  of  a  meal  during  the  day.  They  take  volunteers  such  as  students  with  Service  Learning  requirements  in  order  to  help  students  in  need.  Jonathan  Guzman  a  student  at  Normandale  Community  College  is  a  volunteer  and  in  an  interview  he  explained  how  the  Campus  Cupboard  works,  how  it  has  helped  him,  as  well  as  its  impact  on  the  community.    

~Miguel  Zetina,  Lions’  Roar  Student Voice    

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Students  In  Need  

Good  In  The  Hood  

Students  Helping  Students  

The  Campus  Cupboard  currently  has  approximately  7474  food  items  on  hand.  This  is  quite  a  large  number,  but  each  food  item  is  counted  individually,  such  as  a  single  packet  of  oatmeal,  or  a  granola  bar.  Some  food  items  at  the  Cupboard  go  very  fast,  and  others  take  a  bit  longer  to  be  claimed  by  Normandale  students.  Phethile  (Patty)  Kunene,  a  student  volunteer  at  the  Campus  Cupboard,  has  three  things  to  say  to  students  about  the  Campus  Cupboard:  “It’s  available,  it’s  a  free  service,  and  it’s  for  them!”                                                                                                            ~Amy  Warwick,  Lions’  Roar  Student Voice    

Who  is  It  Benefitting?    

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Due   to   those   results   the   students   and   faculty   involved   with   the   Center   for   Experiential   Education   decided   it   was  

necessary   to   open   up   a   food   shelf.   I   had   the   honor   of   being   able   to   talk   to  Wanda   Kanwischer,   Assistant   Dean   of  

Studens  to  find  out  more  about  the  Cupboard.  Here  is  our  interview:  

 

VH:  What  exactly  is  the  Campus  Cupboard?  

WK:   It   is   a   food   shelf   that   strives   to  meet   the   school   day  nutritional   value  needs   of   students   that   receive   financial  

needs  and  come  to  school  hungry.  

VH:  What  types  of  food  does  it  provide?  

WK:   Students   can   get   convenience   food   items.   They   must   be   non-­‐perishable,   single-­‐serving   items   that   can   be  

prepared  on  campus.  

VH:  How  did  it  get  started?  

WK:  We  were  doing  a  hunger  series.  We  did  a  survey  of   random  classes  and   found  out   that  25%  of   those  students  

cannot  afford   food  and  come  to  school  hungry.  Also,  400  plus  students  self  reported  to   the  Financial  Aid  office   that  

they  receive  food  stamps  each  semester.  

VH:  Where  does  the  food  come  from?  

WK:  Already   for  Service  Learning.  We  are  a  satellite   location  of  Good   in   the  Hood  and  they  have  donated  all  of  our  

food.  We  had  a  trick  or  treat  for  hunger  at  Normandale  and  received  400  plus  items  from  that.  We  got  money  from  the  

Toast  of  the  Town  event  and  gave  that  to  Good  in  the  Hood  for  donating  all  the  food  to  us.    

VH:  Do  you  get  help  from  Normandale?  

WK:  No,  we  only  receive  donations  and  funding  from  Good  in  the  Hood.  

VH:  Who  works  at  the  Cupboard?  

WK:  A  small  core  of  work  study  students,  but  mostly  volunteers.  

VH:  What  went  into  getting  the  Cupboard  started?  

WK:  The  board  of  faculty,  staff  and  students  had  the  idea.  We  brought  in  Shawn  [Morrison  from  Good  in  the  Hood]  to  

help  with   how   to   get   it   started.  We   needed   to   ask   if   the   campus  would   allow   it.   How  we  would   get   the   food   and  

licensure  to  have  the  Cupboard.  We  needed  to  consider  having  health  inspections.  How  we  would  keep  the  dignity  of  

the  students.  Making  sure  we  remember  what  we  are  about  and  implementing  what  the  school  had  decided.  

VH:  Is  there  anything  else  you  would  like  to  let  us  know  about  the  Cupboard?  

WK:  We  have  been  contacted  by  six  or  seven  colleges  and  universities  that  want  to  set  up  their  own  cupboards  which  

include,   MCTC,   Augsburg,   Century,   Inver   Hills,   and   Seattle.   We   have   been   holding   information   sessions   for   these  

colleges,   given   them  a   tour  of   our  Cupboard  and  have   introduced   them   to  Good   in   the  Hood.  Our  next   information  

session  is  December  7thand  St.  Cloud  State  University  is  attending  that  session.  

 

Vera  Hills,    Lions’  Roar  Student  Voice  

Students  In  Need  

 Shawn  Morrison  is  the  executive  director  at  Good  in  the  Hood  which  is  a  non  profit  organization  that  is  dedicated  

to  focus  acts  of  kindness  that  can  help  make  a  difference  in  people’s  lives.    Shawn  Morrison  wanted  to  create  an  

organization  that  was  user  friendly  and  something  that  everyone  could  do.    So  in  February  2013,  Good  in  the  Hood  

was  started.    With  focusing  on  poverty  and  victims  of  overwhelming  situations  Good  in  the  Hood  helps  people  by  

not  only  giving  people  a  hand  out,  but  also  focuses  on  giving  people  a  “hand  up.”    Not  just  doing  things  for  them,  but  

doing  things  with  them  and  having  them  invest  in  their  future.    When  I  asked  Shawn  about  the  organization  he  

stated  that  “It’s  not  just  giving,  giving  can  be  a  black  hole,  It’s  giving  with  a  spirit  of  investment  where  you  inspire  

others  to  also  give  back  because  if  they  don’t  ever  have  that  motivation  then  they  receive  these  things  and  then  

what  happens  is  it  becomes  about  them.    The  way  to  help  people  is  to  get  their  focus  off  themselves  and  to  get  their  

eyes  on  a  vision,  a  perspective,  something  that  is  more  noble  than  just  themselves  and  they  will  benefit  as  they  are  

activating  and  helping  others.    They’ll  feel  good  about  themselves,  they’ll  gain  significance  and  a  sort  of  dignity.”    

Shawn’s  slogan  on  Good  in  the  Hood  is,  “To  create  a  contagious  momentum  of  kindness.  You  think  of  contagious  as  

typically  a  disease  I  like  to  redeem  that  word  and  make  it  for  something  that’s  really  good  and  positive.”  Good  in  

the  Hood  licenses,  insures,  and  provides  the  product  for  Campus  Cupboard.    So  it’s  an  actual  program  of  Good  in  

the  Hood,  but  the  Campus  Cupboard  provides  the  facility,  student  workers,  and  some  of  the  infrastructure  on  the  

internal.    Good  in  the  Hood  takes  care  of  the  external,  where  Normandale  does  the  internal.    

Georgie  Anderson,  Lions’  Roar  Student  Voice  

 

!Good$In$The$Hood$

 Miguel  Zetina  interviewed  a  Student  named  Jonathon  Guzman  who  volunteers  at  the  Campus  Cupboard.  Here  is  what  he  had  to  say:    MZ:  What  made  you  want  to  volunteer  with  the  Normandale  Campus  Cupboard?    JG:  Well  the  reason  behind  that  is,  basically  I  had  three  classes  and  each  of  them  I  needed  to  volunteer.  Each  one  showed  off  the  Campus  Cupboard  so  I  thought  one  volunteer  service  could  handle  all  three  classes.  I  did  it  right  away  (registered  with  Service  Learning)  and  luckily  I  got  into  the  top  twenty  spots.    MZ:  What  is  the  atmosphere  like  in  the  Cupboard  (volunteer  and  volunteer  as  well  as  volunteer  and  people  served)?    JG:  Well  typically  the  environment  is  we  just  sit  around  our  little  office  space  surrounded  by  tons  of  food.  Its  always  tempting  just  to  eat  something.  Its  real  fun  though.  The  thing  I  like  is  working  with  the  people.  I  have  made  a  handful  of  friends  already  and  I  have  also  made  a  couple  of  friends  through  my  Stress  Management  class  I  have  seen  them  but  I  got  to  know  them  better.  That  was  a  real  fun  experience;  we  got  to  know  each  other  better.  Serving  people  there  is  a  handful  of  people  that  just  come  in  and  say  that  they  are  really  hungry  and  I  am  glad  giving  them  food.  We  typically  don’t  judge  people  on  whether  they  have  money  or  not  to  go  to  the  cafeteria.  Its  basically  an  honor  system,  we  don’t  question  anything.  Just  give  them  food  and  they  can  go  on  their  merry  way.    MZ:  In  your  own  words  what  is  the  goal  of  this  program?    JG:  I  would  say  the  goal  is  to  give  out  food  to  the  needy.  Other  colleges  have  been  interested  in  the  Cupboard  we  have  been  getting  phone  calls  saying  how  do  you  run  this?  Or  what  are  your  procedures?  We  are  getting  a  little  popularity  serving  the  people’s  hunger  needs.    MZ:  How  do  you  gauge  success?  Is  there  anything  else  that  makes  the  Cupboard  successful?    JG:  Well  we  provide  friendly  service  to  the  people  that  come  by,  we  give  them  food,  we  tell  them  to  spread  the  word,  we  do  everything  in  a  clean  manner.  We  are  here  to  work  and  give  our  service  to  the  people  rather  than  feeding  ourselves.      MZ:  What  has  this  experience  done  to  help  you  relationship  with  other  students?  You  mentioned  it  helped  you  make  more  friends,  could  you  mention  a  little  more  about  that?    JG:  Evidently  I  have  made  more  social  interactions  with  other  people  in  the  Cupboard  and  outside  like  in  our  class  for  Communications  I  learn  a  handful  of  things  like  emotions  and  language.  Definitely  has  helped,  before  that  I  didn’t  talk  to  people,  I  was  shy,  quiet  and  I  didn’t  feel  like  getting  into  people’s  business.  No  one’s  perfect  and  I  have  seen  that  a  lot  of  people  struggle.  I  just  give  them  any  support  I  can.      MZ:  In  what  ways  does  the  Cupboard  benefit  you?      JG:  Besides  making  new  friends  and  talking  to  people  just  the  volunteer  service  I  think  it’s  a  real  fun  thing  even  though  I  don’t  get  paid  for  it,  it  helps  me  learn  more  from  the  community.  I  know  more  about  people  and  dedicating  my  time  for  others  makes  me  feel  good  inside.  That  kind  of  experience  has  helped  me  decide  my  career.  I  will  probably  be  doing  something  with  the  social  working  field.      MZ:  Has  this  opportunity  made  you  want  to  volunteer  more?    JG:  In  a  way  like  ever  since  this  program  I  have  been  wanting  to  volunteer  a  bit  more  at  my  local  church  for  example.  Why  not  go  occupy  my  time.      Miguel  Zetina,  Lions’  Roar  Student  Voice  

!Students(Helping(Students(

 

 The  Campus  Cupboard  currently  has  approximately  7474  food  items  on  hand.  This  is  quite  a  large  number,  but  

each  food  item  is  counted  individually,  such  as  a  single  packet  of  oatmeal,  or  a  granola  bar.  Some  food  items  at  the  

Cupboard  go  very  fast,  and  others  take  a  bit  longer  to  be  claimed  by  Normandale  students.  Phethile  (Patty)  Kunene,  

a  student  volunteer  at  the  Campus  Cupboard,  has  three  things  to  say  to  students  about  the  Campus  Cupboard:  “It’s  

available,  it’s  a  free  service,  and  it’s  for  them!”  

 

I  had  the  opportunity  to  interview  two  driven  students  at  Normandale  about  their  experience  with  the  Campus  

Cupboard.  

 

!Who$is$It$Benefitting?$$

*Photo  altered  to  remove  private  information  of  the  participant.  

  AW:  How  and  when  did  you  first  hear  about  the  Campus  Cupboard?    Carmen*:  I  ran  upon  it.  I  had  [come]  from  the  gym  one  day,  and  had  accidentally  forgotten  my  little  snacks  and  stuff  I  keep-­‐  I  had  forgotten  everything.  And  sometimes  my  sugar  drops  low.  And  I’m  walking  by,  and  I  see  people  there  but  I  didn’t  even  go  over  there…  I  just  walked  by,  no  one  said  anything.  And  then,  one  day  I  was  coming  back  by,  and  I  see  some  guy  signing  something,  and  he’s  getting  what  you  call  a  granola  bar,  and  I’m  like,  “Dang,  I  want  one  of  those.”  I  didn’t  bring  my  lunch  again,  I  didn’t  have  any  money  on  me,  I  just  had  money  to  get  here.  And  I  was  like,  “…  I  just  need  something  just  to  hold  me,”  you  know,  before  I  go  to  gym.  And  I  asked  them  “What  are  you  doing?”  And  they  told  me,  and  I  said  “Oh,  I  can  do  this,”  they  said  “Yeah,”  I  said  “Oh,  okay  this  is  good.  So  it’s  been  a  great  benefit  for  me,  I’m  going  to  tell  you,  because  between  me  budgeting  my  money,  …  it  has  [come]  in  handy,  and  it’s  nutritional,  depending  on  how  you  pick  your  meal  it’s  nutritional.  Basically,  I  don’t  want  a  meal,  I  just  want  something  to  hold  me  and  keep  my  sugar  level  balanced.  And…    those  three  things  I  get  do  hold  me.  …  And  it  really  helps  so  much.      Wendy*:  I  was  taking  a  nutrition  class…  and  she  [the  teacher]  was  talking  about  the  new  Cupboard,  so  I  just  came  out  to  see…  it.  My  friend  and  I-­‐  we  always  come  here.      AW:  Was  it  hard  to  get  qualified,  or  were  there  any  challenges?    Carmen:  No,  it  was  very  easy  to  get  qualified.  I  was  shocked.  I  was  so  excited  ‘cause  it  was  just:  you  do  this,  you  do  this,  you  give  your  student  ID  number,  you  put  it  in,  and  you’re  done.  I  was  like  “This  is  the  simplest  thing.”  …When  I  did  tell  someone  about  it,  they  were  like  “Oh.  It’s  too  much  paperwork.”  And  I  said  “No…”    Wendy:  You  need  to  get  your  ID...  I  think  it  was  very  easy.    AW:  What  is  the  actual  experience  of  getting  food  like?    Carmen:  Very  friendly,  very  knowledgeable  with  the  things  they  tell  you,  the  staff  there  is  very  friendly.    Wendy:  I  think  it’s  a  great  feeling  to  come  here  [because]  you  know,  I  have  those  choices.  For  my  health,  and  nutrition.      AW:  What  are  the  effects  of  having  the  food?    Wendy:  I  come  here  every  time  after  class,  before  going  to  another  class,  I  need  to  have  something  in  my  stomach…  so  I  can  focus  after  I  eat.  So  this  is  the  best  thing  to  do;  to  come  and  eat  before  you  go  into  class.  …  It  definitely  helps  you  to  focus,  for  sure.  I  need  to  have  food  before  I  go  to  do  anything  else.      AW:  What’s  one  thing  you’d  like  to  tell  students  here  about  the  Cupboard?    Carmen:  I  would  tell  them:  Don’t  be  ashamed  because  you  don’t  have.  Go  there,  it’s  beneficial  if  you  need  some  energy,  it’s  something  that  gets  you  alert.  Another  thing  is,  it’s  good  to  try  and  donate…  not  always  taking  away.    Wendy:  …  You  shouldn’t  be  ashamed  if  you  don’t  have  money,  at  least  once  or  twice  a  week  if  you  can  come…  and  get  some  food.  Don’t  be  ashamed  of  it.  It’s  healthy,  and  you  have  a  lot  of  choices,  and…  stay  focused  in  school.    *=  Names  changed  for  students’  privacy.    -­‐Amy  Warwick,  Lions’  Roar  Student  Voice