Elwood’s Cabinet, Longwood’s student-run food pantry, has been in operation since 2018, supplying students with necessary food, toiletries, and kitchen utensils. The pantry operates between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, and is located on the first floor of the Farmville Wesley Campus Ministry building, across the street from Longwood’s Campus and right next to Hotel Weyanoke.
All students are welcome into Elwood’s Cabinet, and while they show their Lancer Card, no information is taken about those who use the service. Nina Bagley, the Executive Director of Elwood’s Cabinet said, “Everything is confidential, we don’t take any names, we don’t take note of what you take. It’s like a little mini grocery store.”
Cheryl Steele, associate vice president of student engagement and adviser for Elwood’s Cabinet said, “When people think of Elwood’s Cabinet they often think of food, but there is also laundry detergent, kitchen utensils, and really whatever gets donated to us.”
According to those at Elwood’s Cabinet, popular items that students take are macaroni and cheese, protein bars, canned soup, quick snack foods, and hygiene products. Elwood’s Cabinet also has silverware and ceramic plates for students to keep.
Due to funds from the Student Government Association (SGA), Elwood’s Cabinet and the Wesley Foundation were able to purchase a freezer which gave them access to frozen vegetables, which were much more well-received than canned vegetables. That said, keeping other perishable items can be a challenge. Hicks said, “Anything that’s perishable such as milk, meat, fresh vegetables are all tough to keep because we don’t know how much will get in and how much will go out. These things aren’t hard to get, but are difficult to get and then give out to students.”
The planning to place Elwood’s Cabinet right across the street from campus inside the Wesley Foundation came from Hicks speaking with a former SGA President. The Wesley Foundation was able to offer a stable home to Elwood’s Cabinet, and its location off-campus eased concerns about the stigma of being seen going to a food pantry.
Student Representative for Elwood’s Cabinet Michael Leath said, “ Elwood’s Cabinet is all about fighting food insecurity, as someone who has gone through phases of my life where a meal on the table was not guaranteed. Elwood’s Cabinet is very meaningful to me and can be very meaningful to many students on campus
Elwood’s Cabinet, like many organizations on campus, does struggle at times with campus engagement. According to students, campus engagement and student turnout during operational hours has struggled at times for various reasons. Steele said, “Students may feel embarrassed or that they will be judged for coming out to Elwood’s Cabinet.”
Leath said, “Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get ourselves out there as much, but we are
working on that.” Recently, they have worked with other campus organizations on a canned food drive for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, and hope to establish a greater social media presence.
However, despite challenges, Elwood’s Cabinet remains dedicated to their mission. “I hope to have no one on Longwood’s campus that has to worry about what to eat or get food from. What I would love to bring to Longwood Students is the basic need of getting food, and not feeling judged or less than others, this happens and it’s a part of life,” Hicks said.
