Two blue and white Kroger delivery trucks, with a collective 3,000 pounds of groceries inside, back into a cement lot nestled between the UNT Community Garden and Goolsby Chapel, facing their rears toward a rust-colored brick building with a ramp and railing jutting out that is Crumley Hall.

The truck drivers step out, unlatch the doors and open them to reveal the highly anticipated delivery. From inside Crumley Hall, which is home to the UNT Food Pantry, several people excitedly hurry out to assist with unloading the groceries and stocking the pantry beyond its usual capacity.

Kroger, which has sponsored the pantry since 2021, made this significant donation of groceries in April following a Kroger store leader meeting hosted at UNT.

“We were able to pack up our product displays that were in the room and have our store leaders participate in giving back to the community and donating the product to the students here on campus,” says John Votava, director of corporate affairs for Kroger’s Dallas Division. “Giving back to the community is a big part of what Kroger does.”

The UNT Food Pantry has been serving the campus community for 10 years. In the four years since Kroger began sponsoring the pantry, its $250,000 commitment has helped serve more than 28,000 students experiencing food insecurity.

UNT Dean of Students Laura Smith says there is a great need for the on-campus pantry.

“I think a lot of people, when they think about college students, think they have everything they need — that there isn’t housing insecurity or food insecurity, but that’s not the case,” Smith says. “We serve roughly 700 students a week and I know a lot of them could not continue to be well nourished without the pantry.”

Tristen Wheeler Mauldin (’20, ’23 M.P.A.), associate director of the Diamond Eagle Student Resource Center, says the donation of groceries from Kroger diversified the pantry’s offerings and allowed them to better serve students.

“A lot of students come here every single week and a lot of the items we received today is stuff we don’t usually see, which is going to be awesome for them to be able to grab,” Mauldin says.

Ivy Quach, a student assistant at the Diamond Eagle Student Resource Center, was glad to see the added specialty items that provided a wider variety to patrons for weeks after the delivery.

“Kroger has been an amazing support for the food pantry and all the patrons who visit the food pantry,” Quach says. “These special items from Kroger have supported many students who are in food insecurity. We had a chance to increase the number of items so students could take more snacks.”

In addition to groceries, Kroger also recently donated batches of reusable grocery bags, allowing the pantry to save and redirect some of its budget.

“It’s been really wonderful having Kroger as a partner with our Food Pantry. One of the things they fund is our student employees, who run the pantry day-to-day,” Mauldin says. “Kroger also stocks our essential items, so we’re able to use the money from Kroger to purchase groceries that will keep our pantry stocked and up to date so that we can give students enough food to last the week.”

Votava says it is Kroger’s mission to end hunger in their communities, a sentiment that closely aligns with UNT’s commitment to student success.

“Students have many ways that they’re going to spend their money, whether it be tuition or books or housing — we want to eliminate one decision for them and that is whether or not to eat,” Votava says. “So, we wanted to make sure that they have access to the food that they need to nourish them and to give them brain power to continue their studies.”