The Red Hawk Pantry: One Year Later

Established in April 2016 by Student Development and Campus Life, the Red Hawk Pantry serves the needs of students who may be struggling with issues of food insecurity – a situation that an on-campus survey showed affects more than 10 percent of our students.

Shortly after the opening, the University launched the fundraising campaign to support the pantry and allow it to become self-sustaining and continue to serve the needs of our students. Gifts to the campaign helped the Red Hawk Pantry to offer more hours, stock more supplies and expand its services to students. The funds raised also helped to meet student needs grow the expansion of the pantry.

Thanks to the generosity of Montclair State University students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni, the Red Hawk Pantry Campaign raised over $10,800 dollars in the summer months of 2016. The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving also helped to support the pantry by incorporating it into all Giving Tuesday and Giving Day campaigns over the past year. Several generous community partners have also stepped forward to contribute to the pantry.

According to Sonja Tillman, Coordinator of the Red Hawk Pantry, there have been over 670 visits to the Red Hawk Pantry since its opening. In addition to the funds raised by donors, alumni and campus partners have also donated food, toiletry and household items to the pantry. The monetary donations have allowed Tillman to purchase fresh food items, providing more options for the students in need.

For more information on the Red Hawk Pantry, contact Sonja Tillman, Student Development and Campus Life, at tillmans@montclair.edu or 973-655-3434. To contribute to the Red Hawk Pantry, contact Stacy Albanese, Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, at albaneses@montclair.edu or 973-655-5465. You can also support the pantry by making a donation online.