Stinger’s Nest expands - Florence-Darlington Technical College food pantry expands, serves more students
FLORENCE – Florence-Darlington Technical College leaders and community partners celebrated the expansion and relocation of its Stinger’s Nest student food pantry with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
FDTC expanded its food pantry and celebrated with university leaders and donors through a ribbon-cutting.
The expansion was made possible through The Riley Institute at Furman University and their Carolina Cupboard Project, with FDTC as the pilot institute.
“Today is more about opening a pantry,” said Travis Gleaton, FDTC vice president of student services. “It is recognizing that student success begins with meeting students where they are and ensuring they have access to the resources they need to thrive.”
FDTC expanded its Stinger's Nest student food pantry. The expansion was made possible through The Riley Institute at Furman University and their Carolina Cupboard Project, with FDTC as the pilot institute.
The Carolina Cupboard project was developed through the Riley Institute. Working with FDTC, the institute hopes to create a model that can be brought to more campuses statewide.
“Our group came together and really wanted to talk about food insecurity on college campuses or a technical college campus, and research and see what that looked like, and we needed to find a partner to do it with, and we did want this to be not just a one-and-done project,” Riley Institute donor Belle Zeigler said.
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Prior to the expansion, FDTC had a food pantry but Ziegler said it was behind several locked doors, making it difficult to access. Through community partnerships and donations, they were able to expand to where it is now.
“When I talked about the sustainability piece, Florence Darlington Tech Educational Foundation has agreed to put this in their budget going forward,” Zeigler said.
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Student Life and Student Success work study student Antonee Mason-Irwin spoke also on how the pantry has helped her personally.
“I'm able to be the chain that connects me and my fellow peers to the resources that this school provides and also to let them know that they can come to a place where they can get anything they need when they need it without judgement, shame and, most of all, with comfort,” Mason-Irwin said. “Being able to see both sides of the spectrum of how the pantry helps our students and also myself really warms my heart.”
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Since the pantry expanded, the usage has increased by 22%. It’s now seeing between 60 to 90 students a day, according to Paula McLaughlin, director of Student Life and Career Development at FDTC.
To donate financially to the pantry, people can donate to the Florence-Darlington Educational Foundation through the FDTC website. Donors can specify what they would like to donate to.
To donate food items, canned and microwavable items can be dropped off at the pantry. There is a list of accepted items on the FDTC website.
Students, faculty and staff of FDTC can access the pantry in Building 300, Room 308A, Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. -3 p.m.
“To everyone who helped bring this project to life, including our student services team and the FDTC Educational Foundation, thank you for believing in our students and investing in their success,” interim President Debbie Cheek said. “We are proud to be a part of this partnership and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have on our Stingers and our community.”
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