Dr. Rebecca Putman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
FORT WORTH, Texas — Tarleton State University-Fort Worth took its annual Giving Day campaign to a new level this afternoon with the opening of a student food pantry.
Dr. Rebecca Putman, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education, was the driving force behind adding the food pantry to the Fort Worth location.
“I started hearing stories from students about how their basic needs were not being met,” she said. “After I heard a few of those stories, I started observing. I saw students going to vending machines for lunch and dinner, or skipping meals altogether. They were making tough financial decisions after paying for tuition and books.”
Putman began seeking benefactors from the Camp Bowie and Ridglea Country Club areas in Fort Worth and found willing donors at presentations to local service organizations. In addition, she found support from students.
“The students I told about this are already asking how they might help,” she said. “Students are passionate about helping each other and giving back to their university.”
Pantry inventory will feature high nutrition, single-serve foods for heating and consumption on campus. Each student meal, lunch or dinner will consist of a high-protein food, a fruit and a snack.
Located on the fifth floor of the Hickman Building in the common area, the pantry will have space in the new building currently under construction off Chisolm Trail Parkway.
“It will be similar to the one on the Stephenville campus,” Putman said of the pantry at the new facility. “We’ll have our own room with a card reader to allow student access.”
The pantry is in a three-week pilot program to collect information through the end of the spring semester.
“We’re going to see how many people are using it, what foods are popular, which days and which meals are being used more,” she said. “Based on that data, we plan to open it full time in the fall.”
Donors may give to the pantry at http://givingday.tarleton.edu until midnight today in concert with Tarleton’s Giving Day 2018. Bins for donations of single-serve food items are located in front of the Texan Hall Library (Room 445) and Room 408 of the Hickman Building.
Tarleton’s annual Giving Day challenges supporters, alumni and parents to pay it forward to the university’s students through donations to scholarships, programs and activities.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience, marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. Offering degree programs in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online to more than 13,000 students, Tarleton engages with communities through real-world learning experiences to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
priddle@tarleton.edu
