When the Covid-19 health crisis hit New York City in March, Malaine Clarke, Director of John Jay’s Food Pantry, Health Services, and the Student Emergency Fund program, found herself wondering what would happen to the students she helped every day. “When we went virtual, the first thing that popped into my mind was, how are my students going to get the food they need,” says Clarke, who began the food pantry four years ago. “Right then and there I realized, I needed to find a way to get the food to them.” Working with her team, John Jay’s Public Safety, and with help from generous donors, Clarke devised a strategy to bring the Food Pantry directly to students in their homes. “We realized that if we could purchase the food on behalf of the student, we could get it delivered to their homes quickly,” she says.

One of the first students to reach out to Clarke shortly after the quarantine began, was a student-mother. “She sent us an email on a Saturday and said, ‘My baby is five days old. I have no food.’ My team and I jumped into action right away. We ordered from Target, Walmart, and Fresh Direct to try and get everything on her list and have it delivered the next day,” says Clarke. “When the delivery came, she emailed me and said, ‘You don't know how much this means to me. Because of you, my children will be able to eat.’ That’s our goal. If you are hungry, we are here to help.” We spoke with Clarke to learn more about the Food Pantry and find out how students and their families can access the pantry’s services in our current virtual environment.

Can you tell us a bit about the Food Pantry? What inspired its creation?
The food pantry was started in 2016, but prior to that, we had a small food station where students could access food. I saw the same set of students come for food at different times of the day and felt that I should create something where students could take food from school to their homes. I wanted to make sure they would have food throughout the day. When students are hungry, they can’t learn. If they’re not eating nutritious meals, they’re going to fail those classes because their mind is on the next meal and how to feed their family. I decided to create a food pantry where we would provide food for them on campus and food for them to take home. With the John Jay Food Pantry, we’re not just providing food for our students, we’re also providing food for their families.

How has the Food Pantry shifted its services amid the Covid-19 pandemic?
The food pantry on campus is a supermarket model, so students can come in and get whatever they need. When Covid-19 hit, I worked with public safety and my Vice President, Ellen Hartigan, so that I could virtually manage the food pantry. I needed Public Safety to help the students who wanted to go on campus and get food. To keep everyone safe, we had Public Safety pre-pack the bags with the items and students could come and pick the bags up. When I realized that not all students would be able to go on campus, I tried to figure out how to get the food to them. What my team and I are doing now is sending students a shopping list and telling them to check off the items they want. We go and shop for the items and then have the items delivered to the student’s home within 24 hours. It’s still the same pantry services. The only difference is that we’re accessing all the food resources and getting the food to them directly.

What requirements does a student need to meet to access the food pantry?
Any student who is facing food insecurity at John Jay can access our food pantry services. It is not income dependent. Food insecurity doesn’t just mean the amount of money you have for food. Food insecurity also includes the number of meals you eat per day and your access to food. To the students: If you are home and you are hungry, just reach out to us and we will purchase food on your behalf, and have it delivered to your home. If you are hungry and show a need, then we are going to work with you and assist you as best as we can.

How can students access the food pantry services today?
You need to email jjcfoodbank@jjay.cuny.edu or email me at maclarke@jjay.cuny.edu. It’s very simple. If you are hungry, we are here to help. You just need to email us. Once you email us, there are three options to access the food pantry: You could go to the John Jay campus and Public Safety will assist you. All you have to do is show them your John Jay ID and tell them that you are there for the food pantry. The second option is when we shop on your behalf. You send us your shopping list and we will buy what you need and have it delivered to you. And, the newest option we’re working on is depositing the money into your CUNYfirst account. If we were on campus, I would have been purchasing food cards for students—that model doesn’t work anymore because we are not on campus. We’re hoping to take the money that would have gone into the food cards, and deposit it into the student’s CUNYfirst account. The student can then use the money to buy food.

Is the food pantry available to students who don’t go to John Jay?
John Jay’s food pantry on campus is open to all CUNY students who are in need of food. All the student needs to do is show up at John Jay with their active CUNY ID card and Public Safety will assist them to get food. Other CUNY colleges have followed our model and also opened up their pantries to all CUNY students.

Since the start of the Covid-19 health crisis, has the need for food pantry services gone up?
Yes. During this Covid-19 pandemic, one in four John Jay students is facing food insecurity. Since March we have been able to service 254 students with the deliver at home service. And, on any given week, we have 10 to 15 students that access the pantry on campus.

How has the food pantry been able to maintain, and even increase, the services it provides students during these challenging times?
Our pantry is eclectic. We don't only serve our students food; we offer toiletries too. We provide them with soap, tissue paper, and toothpaste. Pharmacies donate supplies to us. We also have beautiful people who help fund the pantry and keep our students and their families fed. The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation and Professor Anthony Gentile have generously donated to help our students who are food insecure. The Petrie Foundation gave us a grant of $30,000 and Professor Gentile donated $5,000 and pledged his continued support to the Food Pantry. I thank them so much for believing in the work that we do and helping us keep our students fed and supporting them on their academic journey.