Fresh Food Pantry Installed on Cambridge Campus

January 21, 2025

Students on the Cambridge Campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College now have expanded access to fresh food resources.

Current students in need can request fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, bread and dairy products in a weekly food order. When filled, orders will be placed in a self-service refrigerated locker system. Students are notified via text or email when an order is ready and will receive a unique access code to open their locker and access their order.

Learn more about Food Resources from Anoka-Ramsey and other community organizations.

These items are offered in addition to grab-and-go food bags filled with non-perishable food and personal hygiene items, available once a month to students on campus in the Student Engagement Office.

This tool allows Anoka-Ramsey to offer students a wider variety of food with greater time flexibility.

“This solution made sense for Cambridge as it is a smaller campus and finding space to have a full-time food pantry would be difficult, says Anoka-Ramsey Dean of Student Affairs Lisa Harris. “Using a locker system will allow students to request and receive food assistance in a more confidential manner than using a food pantry. This also allows for a more personalized approach to working with students and meeting their food needs.”

Federal research from the Government Accountability Office released in 2024 found that 23 percent of undergraduate students in the United States experience food insecurity. That means individuals or households don’t have enough food to meet to meet their nutritional needs or money to buy food that would.

The Cambridge Fresh Food Pantry is just one way Anoka-Ramsey is helping students meet their needs in the classroom and beyond. From comprehensive mental health resources to transportation resources and discounts and crisis grants to help students with emergency financial needs, Anoka-Ramsey is committed to reducing the barriers that stand between our students and their educational goals.

Connect with Anoka-Ramsey's Basic Needs Resources Hub.