The Shocker Food Locker is moving into Grace Wilkie Hall to better accommodate its patrons -- and a new space means big changes. The Student Government Association (SGA) is opening the new location Monday, Aug. 7, and hopes to include more diverse food items, as well as hygiene products and clothing.

Breck Towner, SGA vice president, has seen multiple students use the current food locker in the past few months and expects it to get busier once the school year starts.

“The new location will help us hit this mark even harder,” says Towner. “Going to class hungry is not the way to go through college.”

In a survey taken in spring 2015, before the first Shocker Food Locker opened, one in three WSU students admitted skipping a meal because they couldn’t afford to eat. The ratio was even higher at two out of three for international students.

When asked if they knew one to three students who face food insecurity, 56 percent of WSU students and 67 percent of international students answered yes. The survey then asked how many students would support the idea of an on-campus food pantry, and both groups agreed 100 percent.

With so many students and faculty benefiting from the Shocker Food Locker, Towner and the rest of the SGA decided it was time to move somewhere with greater potential. They wanted a centralized location between the two residences on campus that would better accommodate the clientele of the food locker.

After moving to Grace Wilkie Hall, the Shocker Food Locker will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, instead of the narrow time frame of 2-5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

The location is also located in a “hub of student services” and shares a building with the Student Veterans Organization and the Office of Disabilities Services.

“It’s a very understanding and private environment,” says Towner. “Students should never feel uncomfortable to get food.”

New products will be available for those who need them. In addition to the nonperishable items, the Shocker Food Locker plans to add healthier, fresher items. Lowe’s Home Improvement provided the organization with a new refrigeration unit, which will provide space for fresh items donated by Starbucks.

Chartwells, Wichita State’s new food provider, also plans on donating food items and has discussed creating easy-to-make recipes that students and faculty can use when picking out their items.

“The goal is to expand capabilities of the Shocker Food Locker,” says Towner.

SGA also plans to make it easier for patrons of the food locker by launching an app in the upcoming semester. The app, along with a card-swiping machine, will allow the food locker to keep track of how many people use the service, along with what items are most popular.

Those who want to volunteer with the food locker have several opportunities to help. Towner says volunteers will be needed to pick up food, hygiene products and clothing, as well as keeping inventory of the food locker. Fruits, pastas, cereals, granolas and proteins are always in high demand and greatly appreciated.

Students and faculty can also volunteer during food drives and donate food items throughout the year. Towner says he loves to partner with other organizations on campus to help raise awareness of the Shocker Food Locker and to gather supplies.

“The coolest thing to me is when Shocks help other Shocks,” says Towner.

Towner says these changes and enhancements would not have been possible if not for the hard work of the two sessions that came before him.

“The 58th session started the service and was chaired by Kiah Duggins,” says Towner. “Then Chairpersons Kyler Sanders and Grace Sirois did a great job updating it in the 59th session. I just want to thank them all for their hard work getting us to where we are.”

Students wanting to learn more about the Shocker Food Locker can go to SGA’s Facebook page or Twitter account at @WichitaStateSGA or can call the office at 316-978-3480.

Any questions, donations and inquires can be directed through sga.vice.president@wichita.edu.