CCU collects 5,000 cans for CINO Pantry
by Cwalina
Coastal Carolina University held its annual “Coastal Can-Struct” on Sept. 29 in the HTC Center and collected 5,097 canned goods, which were stocked in the CINO Pantry, a new food bank on campus, and donated to local charities.
Using canned goods as construction materials, participants were required to build a structure that represented “Forever Teal,” this year’s Homecoming theme.
Coastal Can-Struct, one of the events for the Homecoming Week competition, allowed student teams to earn points toward their overall participation in the themed week. In the past, the cans from Coastal Can-Struct have been donated to one of CCU’s local agency partners, but this year, the majority of the cans went into CINO Pantry, located in the Lib Jackson Student Union.
CCU stocked approximately 3,200 cans in the pantry and donated about 1,800 to the Pee Dee chapter of Catholic Charities. The CINO Pantry was created by students in an effort to help reduce hunger and improve nutrition on campus. Managed by customer service specialists and two Leadership and Civic Engagement fellows, the pantry is open to all CCU students, faculty and staff. To access the pantry, go to Room B-215 of the Civic Engagement Office of the Lib Jackson Student Union and ask an employee to open the pantry. Bring your CINO card.
“I love my job!” Torey Green, CCU student and customer service specialist, said. “There’s something so special and humbling about serving my peers. Students coming to the pantry should feel that they are in a safe environment, free of judgment. As a student, I know it can be hard to make ends meet, and unfortunately, food is at the very end of some students’ list of things they can spend money on. I’m honored to be able to help provide a resource for those who don’t have the means to buy the food they need!”
The idea for a campus food bank originated in a University 110 class in 2012. The need for the pantry was determined based on the percentage of CCU students who received financial aid and the number of juniors and seniors who lived off campus and struggled with having enough money to cover the average amount of rent each month and still have enough money to buy food or a meal plan. Located at University Place, the original food bank served as a supplement to those students who needed additional food resources. After a hiatus, the service has reopened in the Student Union, where there is adequate space and staff to operate it.
“I believe the CINO Pantry is a wonderful initiative,” Elaine Giles, coordinator of Civic Engagement, said. “I’m glad that the group of students who were in the University 110 class that started CINO Pantry took action in addressing a need they saw on campus. I’m proud that we can reopen the pantry and continue addressing that need.”
The “Coastal Can-struct” teams included numerous students groups, including sororities and fraternities, Teal Temptation, FYE classes, the Council for Exceptional Children, the NAACP and individual Can-Struct teams. Phi Gamma Delta and Sigma Sigma Sigma brought about 900 cans for their structure. Structures built included representations of graduation caps, fraternity and sorority letters, the infinity symbol, the Atheneum, and the palmetto tree and moon from the South Carolina state flag. The winning team was Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Sigma for their model of Brooks Stadium.
For more information, contact Elaine Giles at 843-349-2939 or egiles@coastal.edu.
