Rally Cat’s Cupboard, UVM’s student-run food pantry, has a new home on campus.

After a roof collapse in the former Hills Building location in August 2021, the Cupboard’s student leaders Malarie McGalliard, a graduate student in food systems, and Maeve Forbes, an environmental studies junior, began hosting pop-up distribution events and spent countless hours working to identify and set up a new, permanent location. The pantry is now housed in Living & Learning Commons, Room 102C.

“We put our hearts and souls into this and are really grateful to be able to share this space with all of our peers and the UVM community. Securing a space is the first of many exciting things to come for Rally Cat’s,” said McGalliard at a recent ribbon cutting ceremony for the Cupboard.

The event served as a grand opening of the new location and honored the memory of former UVM student Matthew Foster who passed away last summer. An endowment fund set up by Matthew’s parents Kevin and Shirley Foster will help fund the pantry in perpetuity.

“Matthew grew up in Honolulu where hunger was present within various communities and groups,” said Kevin Foster, sharing that his son often volunteered with local church organizations to serve meals to people experiencing homelessness. During his sophomore year, he had expressed interest in wanting to do something to help students with the food insecure situations he was observing, even at UVM.

“Knowing there are fine people like Maeve and Malarie to keep this going – we’re so pleased and honored to be part of it,” Foster said.

Rally Cat’s Cupboard was established in response to a 2017 study conducted by the UVM Food Insecurity Working Group that found one in five students experienced food insecurity. It began as an initiative led by former Student Government Association (SGA) presidents Ethan Foley ’20 and Jillian Scannell ’20 who launched Rally Cat’s Cupboard in Hills Building in February 2020. Today, the organization is recognized as an official SGA student club and is supported by a number of campus and community partners.

"Part of what is so inspiring about the Cupboard is that it’s students coordinating to support other students," said Martha Caswell, co-director of the UVM Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative and the club's advisor. "While structural changes are necessary to prevent food insecurity more broadly, this is a shining example of students responding to immediate needs."

Maeve Forbes got involved with Rally Cat’s Cupboard as an SGA senator in 2020 and has been integral to keeping it going amidst a challenging two years. After the Hills Building roof collapse, she and McGalliard hosted weekly pop-up pantries at the Davis Center and Howe Library, coordinating food pick-ups and donations from the Vermont Food Bank, Williston Community Food Shelf, Hannaford supermarket and UVM’s Catamount Farm and delivering leftover items to be redistributed through Feeding Chittenden and Food Not Bombs.

“So many people stepped in to help the community and for me, that’s what makes the difference,” said Forbes.

With their new permanent location, and the help of fellow students, the pair is focused on creating a space where anyone in the campus community experiencing food insecurity feels welcome and dignified.

“In the hopes of breaking down stigma, promoting inclusivity and strengthening the food security net across campus, Rally Cat’s Cupboard is committed to extending their services not only to students, but to all members of the UVM community, including faculty and staff,” said McGalliard.

Since its grand opening in February, the pantry has been able to provide food assistance to over 1200 members of the UVM community. The Cupboard is open in Living and Learning 102C from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, 12-4 p.m. Fridays and can be found from 1 - 3 p.m. Wednesdays in the Davis Center Atrium. Follow @rallycatscupboard on Instagram for updates.

Rally Cat’s Cupboard accepts food donations year round during regular operating hours, or through their food registry. Monetary donations can be made here.