In this pre-COVID photo (no need then for masks!) UMW first-years work with CCE Faculty Director Leslie Martin to stock the Eagle Resource Closet, a food pantry in Lee Hall. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi ’00.
During the spring 2019 semester, a survey was distributed among Mary Washington students regarding their ability to access and purchase food. About 24 percent of those on campus described themselves as “food insecure.”
In response, the Office of Community Engagement facilitated the Eagle Resource Closet (ERC), a space established for the UMW community by students, faculty, and staff. Its shelves are filled with food, toiletries, clothing, and other necessities donated by faculty, staff, students, and many others who wish to help make sure students have what they need. This fall, the ERC operated with a no-contact, online ordering system. ERC staff contacted those who had ordered about pickup, a confidential process with no physical contact between the recipient and others.
The ERC’s main goal is to eliminate food insecurity within the UMW community. For information about donating, volunteering, or utilizing the ECR, please visit eagleresourcecloset.com or email eagleresourcecloset@gmail.com.
