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Melanie Juarez

Dr. Nelson

English 1301-119

09 September 2022

What is Dusty´s Food Pantry?

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) located in Laredo, Texas uses a website to

communicate to their students. TAMIU uses its website to inform about the Dusty’s Food Pantry

(¨Dusty’s Food Pantry¨). The Dusty Food Pantry provides food for their students, in order to

relieve stress and be able to focus on their studies. The Dusty’s Food Pantry informs students

who may be struggling with food insecurities of their services, and encourages the community to

donate. The Dusty Food Pantry provides information over students and how it benefits students

to have the pantry in order to succeed.

In addition, the Dusty’s Food Pantry home page provides a year registration form where

any TAMIU student can sign up. The yearly registration form is where students sign up and can

go at any time to get food that is provided. “Dusty’s Food pantry is committed to help TAMIU

students achieve success!”, is what TAMIU tells their students through its website. TAMIU

wants to help their students in order for them to focus on their studies in order to succeed

(¨Dusty’s Food Pantry¨). This shows that the community is working to better the future of

students.

Furthermore, Dusty’s Food Pantry provides more information about how you can visit the

Dusty’s Food Pantry. ¨Visit Dusty’s Food Pantry!¨ is a headline on the website, and under it are

ways to pick-up food(¨Dusty’s Food Pantry¨). TAMIU wants to make sure to always have

availability and flexibility towards their students, thus they provide many ways for students to
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get food. In person visit allows students to go in and view in person items they want for 10

minutes. It also allows for students who are on campus to walk up whenever they need. When

filling out the form Dusty’s Pantry asks the student for their special request to let the

administration know. Office pickup allows for students who are busy and don't have time to stop

by at random times to choose when they would want an appointment. Office pickups are 15

minutes long and can be booked at the time provided with a date the student would find fitting

for them. When booking a time and date an automatic email will be sent out to remind the

student of the appointment. Curbside orders are for 30 minutes and provide the food at your car.

Curbside orders allow for students on the go to pick up food right in front of their car. Finally,

Dusty’s Food Pantry also provides for the University Village, the on-campus living students

dorm community. This show on how TAMIU faculty are flexible to the students need to succeed.

Moreover, the Dusty’s Food Pantry website also provides additional formation

titled ¨Success Stories¨ (¨Dusty’s Food Pantry¨). It provides stories of students who have

previously used the Dusty’s Food Pantry and how it impacted them. Alejandro Flores says, ¨The

Dusty’s Food Pantry removed unnecessary stress from my academic experience.¨ Another story

from Mayela Villareal says, ¨I started with not having much money or time to make myself food

[...] which has helped me because now I can focus on my academics, [...].¨ These stories

encourage TAMIU students to feel secure and not alone. By providing these stories, students will

feel secure and comfortable to go in. The stories show and tell students they aren't the only ones

struggling and going to the pantry. They provided an insight on how helpful and effective it has

been for previous students. It shows how they all work together as a community to make each

other feel judgment free.

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Finally, TAMIU Dusty’s Food Pantry website provides the headlines of ¨General

Information¨ and ¨Frequently Asked Questions¨ to students. In ¨General Information¨ TAMIU

puts a statement of ¨[…]. There is a perception that if a student can afford to go to college, they

can also afford food. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Dusty’s Food Pantry was created

in October 2017 to tackle the problem of food insecurity […], TAMIU students can continue to

focus on their academic success without facing the burden of food insecurities[…].¨ Many

people have a mindset of thinking that college students can economically maintain themselves.

College students are most of the time seventeen through twenty-three years old, and are

attending school in order to get a degree for their future job. College students have to put in

many hours into studying and attending classes, leaving them with only little space to work a

proper job. TAMIU also includes ¨What is food insecurity? What will I find in Dusty's Food

Pantry? [...]¨ below ¨Frequently Asked Questions,¨ (¨Dusty’s Food Pantry¨). TAMIU provides

this information for the whole community to be involved. TAMIU wants the community to help

out their students, since they live in the same community and are the community's future.

In conclusion, Dusty's Food Pantry provides many resources for students to focus on their

academics. TAMIU wants to make sure their students won't have to worry about food, so a

website is provided to inform their students about what they offer to them. The idea is that with

students not having to worry about food, they would have more time to study and be less

stressed. TAMIU uses this method for students in order to graduate and maintain a healthy

mental and physical shape.

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Work Cited

Dusty’s Food Pantry, https://www.tamiu.edu/foodpantry/