University of Wisconsin KnowledgeBase : The Open Seat Statement on Federal FoodShare Benefit Delays

 

The Open Seat Statement on Federal FoodShare Benefit Delays

Dear UW-Madison Campus Community,

In the wake of the federal FoodShare benefit delays, The Open Seat Food Pantry wants to recognize and respond to the outpouring of support we’ve received over the last couple of weeks. While we want to meet increased demand, we also need to emphasize that we are a relatively small operation and rely solely on student labor. We want to be transparentand realistic about our capacity. We’ve put together a list of actions that our supporters canreference to assist us during this difficult time: 

• Refer students to the Basic Needs Student Support page. No singular organization can supersede the gap left by the loss of FoodShare and the webpage presents a broad list of resources. 
  
  
• Donate funds directly to our pantry. Please refer to our Monetary Donation Guidelines. 
  
  
• Purchase most-needed items directly from our Amazon Wish List. 
  
  
• Sign up for designated volunteer shifts with the pantry.
   
• Sign up for our Rapid Requests Mailing List. This list will allow us to reach out directly with requests for immediate assistance. 
  
  
• Organize a food drive. To be mindful of our team’s capacity, please refer to The Open Seat - Food Drive Guidelines. 

The most important action we encourage our supporters to take is to advocate for institutional solutions for students facing food insecurity. The loss of FoodShare benefits is not generating food insecurity, but rather shining light on existing issues.The Open Seat has seen an exponential increase in shoppers, growing from 550 visits in September of 2023 to more than 2500 visits this September. The Open Seat is under-resourced and cannot handle the increasing level of need on campus. Even with increased financial support and the resumption of FoodShare benefits, our team will continue to struggle balancing our own education with the needs of our shoppers. We advise the University to take this crisis as a call to action. Students, including both the employees and customers of The Open Seat, should not have to sacrifice their education to put food on the table. 

We are incredibly grateful for all of the support. We recognize and appreciate the generosity of our community and hope that we can use this opportunity to forge new partnerships and advance efforts to address food insecurity on campus.

If you have any questions or concerns for our team, please email openseat@asm.wisc.edu.

With gratitude,
The Open Seat Student Staff