University of Houston's Cougar Cupboard restocks with Kroger partnership

HOUSTON - Students at the University of Houston are now able to visit recently restocked Cougar Cupboard, thanks to a partnership between the school and Kroger.

Cougar Cupboard gets major restock thanks to Kroger

Kroger and UH created a 3-year-partnership, where they will, "provide essential replenishment resources to the Cougar Cupboard, the on-campus food pantry that operates like a grocery store and allows eligible students to access free groceries weekly."

Why you should care:

According to the press release sent to FOX 26 about the celebration, the Cougar Cupboard serves thousands of students facing food insecurity. 

The University of Houston estimates that nearly 15,000 students are experiencing food insecurity, which is about one-third of its population.

The partnership includes a $35,000 commitment in funds and food from Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, as well as $10,000 in vendor product donations during the first year of collaboration, according to Kroger.

What they're saying:

At the event, there were several representatives from their respective organizations hoping to bridge a gap between the students and the Cougar Cupboard, including students from UH.

"Utilize it, I would say utilize it as much as possible, because I don’t think there’s a lot of universities that are doing this," Cougar Cupboard Intern, Disha Vats, said. "Especially providing such fresh produce to them, right at their fingertips. It’s literally a walk away from the dorms."

"We know a third of the population of students here at the University of Houston have a food insecurity need, and so for us, this helps them not have to make a decision between ‘Am I getting nourished?’ or ‘Am I educating myself?’ It really kind of closes that gap," Kroger President of Texas Division, Rudy DiPietro, said.

"We really try to have food for students to grab whether they’re on the go, or to bring home to their families," Associate Director Cougar Cupboard, Beau Trent-Pierce, said. "Students here at the University of Houston, they’re not just students. They have a whole world outside of these walls." 

What's next:

The Cougar Cupboard will continue to receive donations from Kroger Houston for the next three years.

The hours of the pantry are:

Tuesday 2p-6p
Wednesday 1p-5p
Friday 10a-2p and the
First Saturday of every month