CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Life as a college student can be packed with financial hardship. From tuition costs to groceries, students often have to penny pinch just to get by.
This is where Izzy's Food Pantry comes into play. The pantry has served the Islander community since its inception in fall of 2017.
Students have had the opportunity to receive a number of goods from the pantry. According to a press release from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the pantry hosts monthly grocery giveaways featuring fresh produce, breads and other special treats.
3NEWS recently talked to area shoppers about the rising cost of groceries and how residents are grappling with that increase. What shoppers told 3NEWS falls in line with the results of a new study by the Food Industry Association. The findings show shoppers generally report absorbing higher food costs rather than cutting back. Almost two-thirds of shoppers said they're spending more on groceries than one year ago, according to the study.
Special Assistant to the Vice President Julie Shuttlesworth said that Izzy's Food Pantry has evolved over its five years of service.
It's been a lot of changes over the last five years," she said. " We went from a very small closet like space to expanding that space. We added in refrigeration and freezer units, so that we were able to offer things like eggs and butter and hamburger meat."
Shuttlesworth said that Izzy's Food Pantry is an essential resource to many students -- and that over the yeas has managed to feed hundreds.
"We knew that there was a need a lot of years ago, and five years ago in 2017 we were able to create Izzy's Food Pantry," she said. "Carved out some space and carved out some budget amounts, and then we've just been able to serve hundreds of students since that point," she said.
Ashely Seesengood is a student worker for the food pantry. She said that the resource helped make a huge difference in her life on a personal level.
"Iv been very thankful that iv been able to use something like this because it helps me to save money on bills and stuff like that," she said.
Seesengood adds that with a resource like Izzy's Food Pantry, word of mouth can go a long way in making sure students have what they need to live comfortably.
"For some people they might not be able to afford groceries that month or something and we do have some students that are homeless and do utilize the pantry also," she said.
Finding ways to provide resources for students from all walks of life, Shuttlesworth said that over the past five years the food pantry has always had one goal in mind.
"And so we want them to succeed we want them to stay in class we want them to stay here in the university and complete their degree," she said.
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