Corps of Cadets Pantry

Between classes and their duties, cadets have a lot to think about. Many members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets team are working to ensure that basic necessities aren’t on that list.

“A lot of students suffer from food insecurity,” said Keely Ar- benz-Smith, the corps’ case manager for Residential Well-being. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of — it’s an issue that we should all be partnering together to help to ameliorate. No Hokie should go hungry.”

The community-supported pantry offers cadets a selection of donated food, personal hygiene products, and cleaning supplies. By making these goods easily accessible, the pantry supports cadets, no questions asked, while preventing unnecessary waste.

Arbenz-Smith and Deputy Commandant for 3rd Battalion Col. Bob Shelton created the pantry. They had long been aware of food insecurity in cadets, and members of the corps staff would buy meals and supplies for cadets as situations arose. When they noticed the overwhelming amount of unopened, unexpired food that was discarded at the end of each semester, they came up with the idea for the pantry.

“Cadets are no different from the regular student population with the life challenges they face,” said Shelton. “We see food insecurity, we see financial difficulties, we see hardship. We wanted to help resolve that. We also wanted to have a very quiet, humble way for them to come forward and say, ‘Hey, I need help,’ without embarrassment.”

Arbenz-Smith and Shelton created a collection box for usable food and goods, and the response was overwhelming. Before long, the corps had enough items to support cadets on a walk- in basis.