The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is opening a new on-campus pantry called the Big Orange Pantry. With a mission of providing emergency food assistance and other essentials for members of the university community, the Big Orange Pantry is accessible to students, faculty, and staff.
The Big Orange Pantry provides emergency food assistance for students, faculty, and staff attending or employed by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Food insecurity and meeting the basic needs of college students have emerged as a critical concern at public higher education campuses across the nation. Studies show that food-secure students typically perform better academically when compared to their food-insecure counterparts. The Big Orange Pantry opened in the fall of 2020 to help meet the increase in short-term meal assistance program demand and basic needs assistance requests.