This year on Giving Tuesday, Queens College is accepting contributions for its Knights Table Food Pantry that has helped to feed hundreds of students and their families facing food insecurity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Giving Tuesday, celebrated annually as a day when people are encouraged to do good in ways that range from performing acts of kindness to making charitable donations, will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 30.
“At a time when about 15 percent of CUNY students report that they sometimes go hungry, the Knights Table Food Pantry plays a critical role in reducing their food insecurity,” Queens College President Frank Wu said. “The food pantry serves an average of 60 students per month; many of them come from households earning less than $30,000 a year. With support from Giving Tuesday, the Knights Table will be able to help more students and their families.”
From October 2020, through September 2021, nearly 2,500 individuals and families have benefited from Knights Table services.
Queens College established the Knights Table Food Pantry in 2018 to address food insecurity — lack of consistent access to food for an active, healthy life — among the college’s matriculated students.
Since the pandemic, the Knights Table extended services to matriculated students at any CUNY campus.
In December 2020, the pantry launched a mobile food distribution program, Turning the Table on Hunger, that makes stops in different Queens neighborhoods, handing out packages to students who register in advance.
Additional pantry initiatives have included placing “grab-and-go” bags and vacuum-packed containers of milk and juice on library shelves for students to take as needed and mailing supermarket gift cards and coupons directly to students who reported food insecurity on surveys.
Students who may be experiencing food insecurity can email KnightsTable@qc.cuny.edu or call 718-997-0393 for quick access to the pantry.
