facebook pixel Skip to Main Content
Idaho State University home

Mission

We recognize that poverty is often a barrier for students who are striving to obtain a certification or degree in higher education. One of the many hardships associated with poverty is food insecurity – the lack of access to enough safe and nutritious food. We believe that by alleviating food insecurity where it may exist, we empower our student community to focus on learning and discovery, thereby removing a significant barrier to persistence

Goals

  1. Create a food-secure community by offering emergency assistance of nutritious food to the Idaho State community
  2. Educate the Idaho State community about issues related to poverty and hunger
  3. Cultivate a culture of service-minded leadership within the ISU student community

History

Benny’s Pantry opened in Pocatello on January 20, 2014, as an initiative of the Student Affairs Department and was the state of Idaho’s first college or university food pantry. Additional locations were opened on the Idaho Falls campus (2016) and the Meridian campus (2019). The pantry offers free, emergency food assistance directly to the Idaho State University community. The pantry is staffed by Student Affairs staff members and student volunteers.

Information on Food Insecurities

For more information about local food insecurities, visit the Idaho Foodbank website:

Advisory Board

  • Lesa Crawford, Director, Benny's Pantry
  • Rachel Nielsen, Pocatello Student Manager
  • Felice Otero, Associate Dean of Students
  • Rusty LeCheminant, Pantry Manager, Bennion Student Union (Idaho Falls)
  • Lowell Richards, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Auxiliaries and Operations