The partnership was launched in October 2023 through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Molly Harris, owner of Lulus Local Food, a software company that helps local farmers and food markets use e-commerce to reach customers, applied for and was awarded the grant from VDACS.
“This is a unique USDA program designed to help source and distribute Virginia-grown food to underserved areas, and we’re excited to partner with farmers markets and food hubs to help build and expand economic opportunities for local producers,” said Birdhouse Farmers Market manager Kate Ruby, who said the grant fits perfectly with the market’s mission to support farmers and improve access to food for people in need.
“We want everyone to have access to good, healthy food,” Ruby says, “which is why we’ve always accepted SNAP (the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).”
The grant will provide funding for food pantries to purchase produce directly from local farmers through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program, ensuring farmers get paid and food banks have access to what their clients need most.
Lisa Matthews Aylesworth, VCU’s associate director of student affairs, said Birdhouse Farmers Market and Lulu’s approached them about partnering. Harris said one of the reasons they reached out to the Ram Pantry was because they noticed many VCU students were coming to the Second Baptist Church food pantry in the Randolph neighborhood, which is adjacent to campus and also hosts a farmers market.
“We were so lucky that she chose us out of the hundreds of food pantries in the Richmond area,” Matthews Aylesworth said.
Matthews-Aylesworth said the Lamb Pantry relies entirely on donations because it receives no funding from student tuition. The service can’t accept prepared food donations from individuals, and instead must purchase them from vendors. The grant-funded partnership allows the pantry to acquire those big-ticket items and provide a diverse range of food to students.
“Our customers have been very satisfied,” Matthews-Aylesworth said. “A lot of the food that gets donated is non-perishable. [the farmers market] Donated food is perishable, so we’re happy to be able to provide fresh food for our students.”
Founded in 2013, The Ram Pantry promotes food security for VCU students. It began as an off-campus student organization but became an official service of the university in 2018.
In 2023, Ram Pantry moved to 930 W. Grace St. in a building it shares with the Free Store.
“Our campus has a lot more square footage than it used to have,” Matthews Aylesworth said, “and we’re more centrally located and have a larger footprint on campus.” That includes Little Lamb Pantry kiosks scattered across the Monroe Park and MCV campuses.
In addition to the new location and partnership with BirdHouse Farmers Market, Lamb Pantry has received new support from VCU Business Services, which has become the first department outside of the student affairs division to provide operating funding. Business Services, which has departments such as Dining Services, has committed to long-term financial support, and the funds will be used primarily to purchase food from Feed More, a regional food bank serving Central Virginia, and to further the Little Lamb Pantry program.
Matthews-Aylesworth emphasized the need for VCU’s food pantry. While scholarships may cover tuition, many students still need to pay for housing and food. In 2020, Dr. Youngmi Kim, an associate professor in the School of Social Work, led a study analyzing food insecurity on campus. The study estimated that one in three students may be food insecure, and Matthews-Aylesworth said the number is likely much higher.
“They have to choose between buying books, buying food or paying bills, and unfortunately for a lot of them, food is last on the list,” she said. “So we’re trying to help them.”
The Ram Pantry accepts food donations by drop off during business hours or in person online. Donors can also purchase items from their Amazon wish list.
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