My Campus Cupboard fills economic gaps for Manchester Community College students
In room 249, along with business studies, Manchester Community College offers food, toiletries, contraceptive and feminine products to economically disadvantaged students. The program, called My Campus Cupboard, is backed by local food banks and donors.
MANCHESTER, NH – In room 249, along with business studies, Manchester Community College offers food, toiletries, contraceptive and feminine products to economically disadvantaged students. The program, called My Campus Cupboard, is backed by local food banks and donors.
Nationwide, as many as 23 percent of college students have experienced food insecurity, according data from the Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS).
When college is in session, the cupboard is available 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students are allowed to visit the cupboard daily, as many times as they need, as long as they sign in either through a tally sheet or scanning their student ID. The names are used for a general headcount and are not available to anyone outside the Cupboard leadership.
Kristen Butterflied-Ferrel, MCC’s student support counselor, is the main coordinator for the cupboard. She, along with other volunteers — including one who asked to remain anonymous under the pseudonym “Batman” – give hope and a sense of comfort to struggling students.
Once a week, Manchester Community College’s “Batman” donates to the college’s food pantry, one of many such organizations he supports. “The food pantry has come a long way from last year,” Batman said.
Last year, the cupboard was not as well supplied as it is today. In addition to the common dry goods and ‘just add water’ meals, the cupboard now carries meats, veggies, breads, and dairy products.
In 2024, a former professor donated a deep freezer to expand the options available to students.
The Cupboard also offers recipes available to encourage students to cook and make healthier choices. Since its revival after COVID-19, the cupboard constantly replenishes their products, either weekly or bi-weekly.
“Anyone can donate,” Butterfield-Ferrel said.
Readers interested in volunteering or donating, can contact Kristen Butterflied-Ferrel in room #268B at Manchester Community College or via email: kbutterfieldferrel@ccsnh.edu
Paul Howell, Samantha McCarthy and Theresa Dawson are students at Manchester Community College participating in the News Inkubator program.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the student author and do not reflect the opinions or endorsements of any affiliated or mentioned high school or college.
The Inkubator program is aimed at nurturing and growing New Hampshire’s local journalism ecosystem – support for educators, opportunities for students and pathways for future journalists, artists and creators. And beyond that, we want to engage our community in this process because together, we rise. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Inkubator. (Want to see Ink Link deliver community news to your town? We’d like that, too – and we can do it with your support. Ask us how.
