The Marshall University Food Pantry will increase the amount of product it can hold due to an upcoming expansion, the pantry’s student manager said.

“With this expansion, we’ll have more space for everything,” Eva Rhodes said. “We could double, triple the amount of stuff we have in that space now.”

This is the second expansion the pantry has gone through since it first opened in 2017 in Marshall’s dietetic department in Pullman Square.  

The space will grow to be about 3000 square feet—including a larger waiting space and shopping room—Student Body Vice President Callia Yang said. 

Along with a larger area, Student Body President Walker Tatum said they would also like to add hours to when the pantry is open instead of only the two days a week it is currently. 

Adding more days to the pantry’s hours would allow for days only available to Marshall students, faculty and staff while keeping the current hours it has open to the community. 

The goal is to have the pantry act more as a convenience spot for students to stop by when they need. To add to this feeling, the thrift store will move from its current location in Holderby Hall.

“Holderby Hall is already on the docket to not be there forever,” Tatum said. “Our plan was to move it across the street and move it in with the pantry so that we have both the food pantry and thrift store in one location with one another that’s more of a concrete place for them both to be at.” 

He said the focus on the pantry is in part due to students not eating the amount of meals that are recommended. 

“We saw a huge amount of students that are not getting enough meals that they need and the nutrition that they need to focus on their academics,” Tatum said, referencing a survey sent to the student body. “As students ourselves, we know how important this is.”