With increased inflation and price gouging galore, food costs for many are higher than ever.  

These factors affected the Eagle’s Nest Food Pantry at The University of Southern Mississippi.  

For many, the campus resource under The Hub is priceless.  

The Student Association of Social Work started it in 2016. The Dean of Students now oversees the pantry, but students still run it. 

Lauren Magee is the volunteer coordinator and intern at Eagle’s Nest. Though there are many volunteers, the grad student told the Printz that donations have decreased. She believes the increased cost of living affected the ability of many to give.  

“People will come in and they’ll need things and sometimes we don’t have it,” Magee said. “And it just makes it hard because they aren’t able to get donations due to prices going up.”  

Private donations keep most shelves stocked at Eagle’s Nest. Hattiesburg non-profit Extra Table provides the most food for the pantry.  

Extra Table distributes over 20 tons of food each month to over 50 agencies and pantries.  

Eagle’s Nest provides the campus with more than canned food. Fresh food, frozen food, spices, and even dog/cat food are possible for those to get. However, the pantry is out of most of these items or about to be.  

Outside of dietary needs, the Eagle’s Nest Food Pantry has products designed to address the hygiene, academic, sanitation, and sexual needs of those who come. Many of these items are also in short supply.  

Richelle Bien works with Magee at Eagle’s Nest.  

The graduate student in the School of Social Work said the available resources still pay dividends beyond addressing hunger.  

“We are here to help you to the best of our ability for you to get access to your basic needs because we want to help you focus and succeed here at USM,” Bien said.  

Those also committed to this mission are volunteers like Hayden Dangerfield.  

Volunteering helped the freshman biological sciences major to be more empathetic toward others.  

“I didn’t realize how many people there were like in my community that needed this food pantry because they didn’t have access to the same things that I might,” Dangerfield said.  

The Eagle’s Nest Food Pantry is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. People can go to its website to buy items on its Amazon Wish List, donate, and volunteer.