Buzzy’s Food Pantry Receives Financial Boost From SCHEV

Shenandoah University’s efforts to fight the nationwide trend of food insecurity on college campuses has received financial support from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in the form of a nearly $6,000 grant, part of a $500,000 contribution from SCHEV to address campus hunger at 48 public and private institutions throughout the commonwealth.

Shenandoah received $5,952 as part of the grant, which the university’s Center for Civic Engagement is using to expand Buzzy’s Food Pantry, a free resource it established in 2024 to assist SU students, faculty and staff who are facing food insecurity.

CCE has grown the pantry – located in the Brandt Student Center on Shenandoah’s main campus in Winchester, Virginia – over the last two years to include a refrigerator, freezer and hygiene products, expanding the pantry’s inventory beyond shelf-stable food items.

Rebecca Gibson, Shenandoah’s director of civic engagement, said the new funding from SCHEV is being used to extend Buzzy’s Food Pantry services to the university’s Health Professions Building on the Winchester Medical Center campus and its Loudoun location. The money is also being used to increase food options to include more vegan/gluten-free choices and fresh produce.

“We’re very grateful to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for supporting campus food pantries like ours. For students experiencing food insecurity, having access to healthy options can impact academic success and physical and mental health in a positive way,” Gibson said.

The $500,000 in grants distributed by SCHEV are funded by the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program that was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 2025, according to a news release. SCHEV granted between $5,952 and $14,882 to each school, with funding amounts based on the percentage of in-state Federal Pell Grant-eligible students enrolled at the institution.

“More than 40% of college students experience food insecurity at some point, which can lead to several adverse outcomes, including dropping out of school,” SCHEV Executive Director Scott Fleming said in the release. “Virginia’s investment in campus food pantries will help keep our students on track to reach their educational goals.”

Buzzy’s Food Pantry is supported largely by donations. In November 2025, the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation presented the pantry with a $5,000 gift. (The Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, whose philanthropic purpose is fighting hunger, became Shenandoah University’s first national social sorority in Fall 2025.) Buzzy’s Food Pantry also recently received a $500 gift from a community member, Gibson said.

In addition to the SCHEV grant, Shenandoah’s Center for Civic Engagement received $879 from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Partner Impact and Innovation Grant in summer 2025, which it used to replace the Buzzy’s Food Pantry freezer in time for the start of the 2025 Fall Term. Nursing student Lucy Greenstein ’28, one of CCE’s work-study students, led the effort in upgrading the pantry’s freezer – she selected a new freezer to replace the one that was previously donated and had become unreliable, and she personally completed the grant application through BRAFB.

“I am so happy that Buzzy’s Food Pantry has provided beneficial assistance to people who need it, and hopefully we will continue to receive support to grow the pantry even more,” Greenstein said.

To make a monetary donation to Buzzy’s Food Pantry, visit advancement.su.edu/buzzys-food-pantry. An Amazon wish list is also available to allow individuals to purchase items for the pantry.

About SCHEV

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is the commonwealth’s coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV develops statewide policy, conducts research and data reporting, administers financial aid and provides strategic guidance to enhance access, affordability, quality and accountability across Virginia’s postsecondary institutions.