TAMPA, Fla. — A small food pantry on the campus of the University of South Florida is making a big difference for students who are struggling to find their next meal.

What You Need To Know

  • USF started a food pantry on campus in 2015

  • The "Feed-a-Bull" food pantry is currently in a food drive to receive donations to keep their shelves stocked

  • The food pantry has seen a 350 percent increase in student usage from the Fall of 2021 to 2022

  • To donate to the food pantry, click here

Officials said it’s a sad reality for some students, which is why they’re grateful to help anyway they can.

You’d be hard pressed to find college kids spending their time volunteering to put cans of food on shelves in a room with no windows but not all students are like Genevieve Carcano.

“I think it’s serving a great cause that’s important to me personally,” Carcano, a sophomore at USF, said.

Carcano is on track to graduate early with a double major in humanities and English.

Once a week she’s in the basement of the student services building on USF’s campus stocking shelves and greeting students who are using a vital resource for so many of them.

“I can clearly see the impact it’s had on fellow students, like myself,” Carcano said.

Even though she’s not had to use the pantry much herself, working here has shown her the need first hand so many of her fellow students coming in just so they know what their next meal will be.

Just within the last few years, Feed-A-Bull food pantry saw a roughly 350 percent increase in students between 2021 and 2022, according to the creator of the food pantry on USF’s campus, Katie Webster.

“We do see a lot of student traffic and we need to keep the shelves stocked and ensure that we can provide for people as much as possible,” Carcano said.

It’s not like they’ve run out of food, but the food they receive from regular donations or from organizations, like Feeding Tampa Bay, goes pretty fast nowadays.

“We’re going through food a lot faster than we’re used to,” said Webster.

Webster started the food pantry in 2015.

In that time, food pantries have sprouted up on every single one of USF’s campuses, but the need is still there.

That’s why they’re currently in a canned food drive and are asking folks for specific donations to restock these shelves and keep students fed.

“It’s a good and a bad thing,” Webster said. “It’s good to know that we’re here, but it’s also kind of sad to know that so many students are struggling.”

Despite that double-edged sword, for Webster, anyway, to help the pantry results in incredible help for students who have been directly impacted by things like inflation.

“Students struggle at times and wanting to be able to give them some extra support,” Webster said. “And supplemental food assistance is kind of where we started.”

It’s a mission that’s captivated students like Genevieve, which is why she sees the importance of stocking these shelves.

Webster says the food drive for USF’s food pantry ends on March 9.

If you would like to donate food to the food bank, you can click here to give monetarily or click here to see what items are in high demand.