Abstract

Objective: Describe trends in usage and shoppers of Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) food pantry over four academic years. Participants: Shoppers of EMU’s pantry between September 2015 and April 2019. Methods: Data come from shopper questionnaires and pantry records of daily visits and food distribution. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to explore shopper characteristics and pantry use over time. Results: Pantry use increased over four academic years (from 1,021 to 3,080 visits/year). An increasing proportion of shoppers use the pantry ≥ once/month (6.1% in 2015/2016; 15.1% in 2018/2019). Compared to irregular shoppers (≤7 visits/year), regular shoppers (≥8 visits) reported higher rates of housing instability and were less likely to have a university meal plan. Conclusion: Data revealed substantial growth of the campus pantry, likely reflecting greater awareness and greater need. The findings highlight financial and social challenges faced by Michigan’s college students. Recommendations for pantry establishment/maintenance are indicated.

摘要

目标：描述东密歇根大学 (EMU) 食品储藏室四个学年的使用趋势和购物者。参与者： 2015 年 9 月至 2019 年 4 月期间在 EMU 食品储藏室购物的购物者。方法：数据来自购物者问卷调查和食品储藏室的日常访问记录和食品分发。使用描述性统计、t检验和卡方分析来探索购物者特征和食品储藏室随时间的使用情况。结果：食品储藏室的使用增加了四个学年（从每年 1,021 次增加到 3,080 次）。越来越多的购物者每月使用食品储藏室的次数≥一次（2015/2016 年为 6.1%；2018/2019 年为 15.1%）。与不定期购物者（≤7 次/年）相比，经常购物者（≥8 次/年）报告的住房不稳定率更高，并且不太可能制定大学膳食计划。结论：数据显示校园食品储藏室大幅增长，可能反映了更大的意识和更大的需求。调查结果突出了密歇根大学生面临的经济和社会挑战。指出了食品储藏室建立/维护的建议。