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Student organization collects 150 items to donate to Lumberjack Pantry

University Marketing Communications
•
April 9, 2025
Esha Ganguly, a senior from Houston and SAND treasurer; Ashley Liston, a senior from Austin and SAND president; and Margo Thompson, a senior from Mobile, Alabama, and SAND vice president

Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics collected 150 items to donate to SFA’s Lumberjack Pantry in March for National Nutrition Month. Pictured, from left, are Esha Ganguly, a senior from Houston and SAND treasurer; Ashley Liston, a senior from Austin and SAND president; and Margo Thompson, a senior from Mobile, Alabama, and SAND vice president. 


NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Food insecurity is more than a statistic — it’s an issue facing many people across the nation and some of our most vulnerable groups won’t escape its impact.

According to Feeding Texas, a statewide network of food banks, 29% of students at four-year universities experience hunger. To counter this trend, Stephen F. Austin State University students stepped up to support their community.

The Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics completed a weeklong fundraiser and collected donation items for SFA’s Lumberjack Pantry, an initiative dedicated to helping the SFA community with basic needs including food, hygiene and baby-related items, for National Nutrition Month in March. SAND is a student organization that prioritizes community nutrition and outreach and participated in this initiative to bring attention to food insecurity.

“After reviewing all the charities in the area, supporting the Lumberjack Pantry felt like such a meaningful way for SAND to give back to the SFA community that has given us so much,” said Margo Thompson, a senior dietetics and nutritional sciences major from Mobile, Alabama, and SAND’s vice president. “Knowing friends and classmates who have personally faced food insecurity made this project especially close to my heart.”

Emphasizing its commitment to community service, SAND partnered with the Lumberjack Pantry to promote its services during an SFA Instagram takeover for National Nutrition Month. They continued the collaboration by organizing a food drive, resulting in over 150 donations.

“It was really touching to see our members, both students and staff, come together, gathering food and personal care items with so much care and kindness,” Thompson said. “It's easy to fall behind when you lack the proper nutrients you need to keep your brain functioning to its full potential, so knowing our efforts would help relieve even a small part of that struggle means the world to me. Moments like this remind me how strong and compassionate our community is when we come together."

To learn more about opportunities available to you with SFA’s dietetics and nutritional sciences program, visit gosfa.com/3xfqiYv.