By SAVANNAH TOREBKA
Contributing Writer
From its humble beginnings in 2021 as a simple table setup outside the Camelot Room offering a handful of items to students, the Golden Knights shop is now in its own stock room full of snacks, easy-to-make meals, clothing, and hygiene products in Room 20 of the Events and Athletics Center (EAC).
And the best part: it is all free.
The new location opened its doors on Nov. 17, 2022, and is there for anyone in the campus community who may need help getting basic necessities.
“The College identified a real need for the campus community to have access to food when there were no other free resources available,” said Niamaya Canady, assistant director of community service in an email interview.
Shelves are packed with canned goods, granola bars, pudding cups, macaroni and cheese, multiple ramen flavors, instant rice, toiletries, and much more. Brooke Cornwall, a volunteer manning the shop, beams when someone arrives at the door. “Take a bag, fill it up with anything you want, and don’t be shy!” she said. The shop also maintains a steady supply of to-go bags already packed with pantry essentials that are stored in the lower level of the Interfaith Sanctuary in case students are not able to drop into the shop during its operating hours.
Besides the plethora of goods in their pantry, they have also introduced free community meals every Tuesday afternoon from 12 to 3 p.m. in the Interfaith Sanctuary. Canady says, “We understand that sometimes after juggling work and school and life, sometimes it’s nice to show up and have a warm meal already made.” This new addition to the services offered by the GK Shop provides yet another great opportunity for anyone on campus to fuel themselves for the day ahead.
Canady said the GK Shop is sustained through a combination of monetary and in-kind donations from the campus community, in addition to assistance given by Student Development and Sodexo. “Last year there was an end-of-year appeal where students could donate leftover money to the GK Shop,” Canady added.
Charitable donations of clean clothing, non-perishable food items, and unused hygiene items can be either brought to the shop directly in the EAC or to the donation bins located in the Interfaith Sanctuary.
Canady sees even more potential for GK Shop’s growth beyond being a fully functional food pantry with hopes of expanding its resources in the future. “I’d love to see us have a food garden on campus and be able to stock the pantry with produce grown right here on campus,” Canady said.
The shop prides itself on being a resource funded by kindness and generosity, and there are many ways to get involved with the project. The shop welcomes graduate students, students involved in work-study, and any other volunteers who are interested in contributing.
To receive more details on how to become a part of the GK shop community, send an email directly to Niamaya Canady at canadyn@strose.edu, or to GKSHOP@mail.strose.edu.
