Towson University: TU In Northeastern Maryland Begins Foodshare, Pantry

Press release from Towson University:

Kyle Hobstetter

July 13, 2021

Harford County campus to partner with AmeriCorps VISTA program

Towson University in Northeastern Maryland (TUNE) has always looked for ways to help its community.

Allison Frey, director of student services at TUNE, says students frequently talk
about organizing programs and events to collect food, clothing and toiletries for
local charities.

But the conversations always come back to how students also need these items.

“We started having conversations about what that would look like and how we can help
create success for them,” Frey says. “That’s our ultimate goal: to help our students
see success inside and outside of the classroom.”

Those discussions evolved into requests for a foodshare program. While there are other
food pantries in the area—including at local churches and partner institute Harford
Community College—TUNE students didn’t feel comfortable going there.

For inspiration, Frey looked at TU’s main campus foodshare, which celebrated its fifth
anniversary this past April.

Read more: Five years of the TU FoodShare

Working with Anthony Skevakis, TU’s associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students, she applied to the AmeriCorps VISTA program and was accepted.

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) sends individuals to programs around the
country aimed at eradicating poverty. This includes food insecurity, which, according
to Feeding America, will affect more than 54 million Americans this year due COVID-19,
a dramatic increase from 37 million in 2018. 

Courtney Insley ’21 started as the AmeriCorps VISTA representative ON DATE and is
working with the newly created TUNE FoodShare.

Insley grew up in Harford County and graduated with a bachelor’s in health education & promotion.  

“For her to be a Harford County resident and a TU alum, she is super excited for this,”
Frey says. “She interned at TUNE last semester and created a recipe book for us. We
know this is her passion. This is a good first step for her to get her feet wet.”

The TUNE FoodShare has a three-year plan in place. By the end of those three years,
the program hopes to have a new food pantry, training curriculum, involvement from
community partners, an advisory committee and a funding stream to keep the project
sustainable.

Frey even says they are looking at larger projects for the future, including hosting
a farmer’s market, holding a wellness fair, partnering with a local farm to provide
fresh produce and starting a TUNE community garden.

John Desmone, TUNE’s executive director, says TUNE faculty and staff aim to provide
their students with everything they need.

“The more things that we create here, the better we can help our students get the
support they need,” Desmone says.

To learn more about what’s going on at the Towson University in Northeastern Maryland
campus, check out the TUNE Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.