SUNY Adirondack community rallies for Pack the Pantry

QUEENSBURY, New York (Nov. 17, 2025) — This National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, SUNY Adirondack hopes to build on recent successes in its Pack the Pantry campaign to support the college’s resources for students.

When the federal government shutdown threatened SNAP benefits, SUNY Adirondack leadership emailed its faculty, staff and supporters requesting that those able support The Community Hub, an on-campus resource to support students’ non-academic needs.

“We received at least 15 boxes full of donated items, in addition to gift cards and monetary donations,” said Tara Booth, assistant professor of Counseling and coordinator of Community Connections at SUNY Adirondack. “Our campus community is extraordinarily generous.”

The Hub’s Food Source has been visited 288 times by 138 students since the start of the Fall semester Sept. 3, Booth reported. “This is definitely an increase from prior years,” she said.

In addition to items donated, $1,455 was given by 21 donors, as well as an additional $1,000 contribution by Arrow Bank to support low- and moderate-income individuals and families.

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced that the state is providing almost $550,000 to SUNY community colleges to support students facing food insecurity, allocated based on the number of enrolled students who are Pell eligible. SUNY Adirondack will receive $15,000; more than 40 percent of the college’s students are Pell eligible.

“Our students can’t succeed academically if their basic needs aren’t being met,” said Kate O’Sick, dean for Student Affairs at SUNY Adirondack. “Efforts like Pack the Pantry and The Hub remind us that college success is about more than books and classes — it’s about belonging to a community that looks out for one another. I’m incredibly proud of how our campus continues to step up to ensure every student has the support they need to thrive.”

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week runs through Nov. 22. The annual event raises awareness about hunger and homelessness and encourages community support for those in need through events, donations and volunteerism.

To contribute to SUNY Adirondack’s Hub and Pantry, visit https://shorturl.at/qKhpe. You can also drop off gift cards of any denomination from Stewart’s, Walmart Charitable Gift Card, Aldi, Target, Hannaford or Market 32, in the SUNY Adirondack Counseling Suite in Washington Hall or SUNY Adirondack Foundation office on the upper of Scoville Learning Center, or drop off food or basic necessities outside the Washington Hall Food Source.