MGA’s Knights Table Expands to Support Students Facing Food Insecurity

Macon, GA

MGA Student Care team members Elaine Martin, far left, and Jeremy Mayweather, far right, with students (l-r) Caitlyn Wilson, Braydan Thomas, and Narvin Barney.

Elaine Martin still thinks about the Middle Georgia State University student who stopped by the information table she was staffing at a campus clubs and activities fair.

As the two talked, the student shared that the kitchen where she lived had flooded, leaving her without a way to cook. Because of that and some other challenges, she told Martin, she had not eaten in more than 24 hours.

Martin, assistant director of Student Care for Middle Georgia State’s (MGA’s) Division of Student Affairs, immediately walked the student to the campus food pantry, known as the Knights Table, to help her gather emergency supplies.

“That’s one example that always stands out to me about the difficulties some of our students deal with,” Martin said. “Sometimes they are in crisis and just don’t know where to go or who to ask. We just happened to be there when she needed us.”

Martin is part of an MGA team that works closely with students to connect them with resources that support their wellbeing and safety. Food assistance is only one of the services the team provides, but it is an increasingly common need among students, not just at MGA but across the nation. According to a 2023-2024 survey by the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, 41 percent of college students lacked reliable access to food the previous year.

That’s where services such as MGA’s Knights Table come in.

What began several years ago as small food pantries crammed into the Macon Campus game room and a Cochran Campus storage closet has evolved into a comprehensive resource supporting students on all five of MGA’s campuses. The Knights Table’s mission is to create a hunger-free campus by providing access to food, identifying and addressing the causes of food insecurity, and mobilizing resources to combat it.

“What we see a lot of are students struggling to pay tuition and not having money for food right then,” Martin said. “So we can say, ‘Let’s take the food worry away.’ If they’re worrying about eating and how to pay for food, that means they are distracted from their studies. If we care about students, if we care about retention, we need to make sure they have enough food.

Braydan Thomas, 23, a senior IT major, is among the students whose food needs once took time and energy away from his studies.

While living in a Macon Campus residence hall, Thomas periodically walked a five-mile round trip to Walmart to buy groceries. He needed food on hand for weekends and other times when the campus cafeteria was closed, but a lack of transportation - and sometimes money - made that difficult.

“When I heard about the Knights Table, I started going there about once a week,” Thomas said. “I used to worry about food, but now I don’t worry about it as much. The Knights Table puts my mind at ease so I can focus on my schoolwork.”

Today, the Knights Table supports students in several ways. Larger and better-stocked food pantries students can visit in person are now located on the Macon and Cochran campuses. Martin’s office also takes online requests, prepares food bags, and leaves them in code-access lockers on the Dublin, Cochran, Macon, and Warner Robins campuses. These lockers allow students to pick up food after regular business hours.

Caitlyn Wilson, 21, a junior majoring in criminal justice, said MGA student care staff members have occasionally met her at the Macon Campus Knights Table after hours so she can pick up items like pasta, eggs, and personal hygiene products.

She said she’s been looking for a job since returning to MGA for spring semester but hasn’t found anything yet. The Knights Table helps her stretch her already tight budget.

“Coming back from break and trying to find a job, it’s been tough,” Wilson said. “Being able to go to the pantry and find things we can cook at (our residential student community) just helps so much, especially this semester.”

Narvin Barney, 22, a sport management major paying his own way through MGA, said the Knights Table offers more than just food and personal items. He credits Martin and other student care staff members, such as Jeremy Mayweather, with providing encouragement and emotional support when he struggles with finances and other challenges.

“I’m not picky about food,” Barney said. “I’m a college student; I’m going to eat whatever is available. What I like best about the Knights Table is knowing there are people who work there who have my back and want to make sure I’m doing OK mentally and emotionally.”

Since 2023, campus and community support for the Knights Table has grown significantly. For one thing, Martin and the student care team obtained a $6,000 grant from Swipe Out Hunger, a national non-profit organization that works to reduce hunger and food insecurity on college campuses.

Through the MGA Foundation, the Knights Table has received grants from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Pipes Family Foundation, Sam’s Club, and several Walmart locations across the region. Additional support has come from Macedonia Baptist Church and Loaves & Fishes. Embark Georgia has provided funds for “Dining Dollars” to help commuter students in need buy meals in campus cafeterias.

Meanwhile, MGA faculty, staff, and alumni have donated more than $11,000 in the past two years. Food drives for the Knights Table have become a regular feature of campus events.

“Our donations have definitely increased, and we’re more connected now with the community,” Martin said. “I’ve been really impressed with how willing people are to help.”

The student care team is using donated funds to buy code-access lockers, refrigerators, freezers, food pantry shelving, and other infrastructure that will allow the Knights Table to serve students more effectively.

“I hope soon our pantries have a brand-new look, more grocery style,” Martin said. “They’ll be warmer, friendlier spaces, and I think students will really appreciate that.”

MGA students can learn more about how to access Knights Table services at https://www.mga.edu/student-affairs/student-conduct-care/student-care/food-pantry.php. The webpage also includes information about ways to donate, including an Amazon wish list.

January

MGA’s Knights Table Expands to Support Students Facing Food Insecurity