Meal plans are not cheap. Some students prefer to avoid them entirely to save money or because they feel better about making their own food at home. Others choose a meal plan for the sake of convenience or because they are required to do so in their time living on campus, like all freshmen. That being said, some students rely on these meal plans that they pay for. Holding down a job whilst being a full-time student attending classes, studying, researching and trying to make new connections with those on campus is no easy feat. For some, it is easier to just take on the extra cost in exchange for food security. During breaks, however, that security can sometimes waver.

Each week as the semester approaches its end, MSU’s campus empties out. Some students stay in Starkville, while most scatter all across Mississippi or the greater United States to head back to their families for the holidays. During these breaks, a lot of the services on campus close down or reduce their availability, including places like State Slice in Azalea Hall, The Beet Drop in Perry Hall and the entirety of Fresh Food Company.

These locations usually stay open on the days they typically would be, just with a shorter time frame. However, if students do not know to expect that, or even where to keep an eye out, they may only realize once it is too late and they are in front of an empty building, wondering what to do for lunch since they do not have much food at home.

These limited hours can create unexpected problems for students who rely on on-campus dining. This was something I experienced during my first few breaks at MSU, so I started to wonder just what winter break was going to look like. I worried about what those who stayed on campus would be able to do.

Many college students face food insecurity, with some estimates by The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs ranging as high as 41% of American college students in recent years. While not all students facing food insecurity may be unable to afford food outright, they may have to prioritize what money they do have elsewhere, like on medication or tuition.

Students at MSU have options of course, namely the Maroon Markets on campus that stay open 24/7 and Bully’s Pantry, where students can stock up on food to take back to their residence. With it being so late in the semester, however, it is safe to say that most students are likely running low on Dawg Dollars by this point.

That leaves Bully’s Pantry.

While I have personally heard of Bully’s Pantry, I was not exactly familiar with it until recently. I assumed that because I had a meal plan, I probably would not be allowed to take anything from there.

Joel Linton, the graduate assistant at Bully’s Pantry, corrected my assumption.

“Anyone is welcome to use the pantry, as long as they are an MSU student,” Linton said. “You are more than welcome to come by the pantry, we are more than happy to talk.”

I also spoke briefly with Carson Brantley, the Advisor for Bully’s Pantry, about some of my concerns for the upcoming winter break. She reassured me that Bully’s Pantry has been making plans for it, with hopes to keep every student they can fed over the break.

“So what we’ve done in the past, what we plan to do this year, is have boxes or larger bags available for people to come pick up.” Brantley said. “What we tend to do, and what we ended up doing for Thanksgiving, was just allow people to get whatever they wanted off of the shelves.”

She explained that while there is a limit on what students can take from Bully’s Pantry on a typical day, as those breaks arrive and staff at Bully’s Pantry expect to close for a longer period, they account for this by allowing those in need to take a bit extra to get them through those days. She affirmed she was confident about getting students through the upcoming break.

It is frustrating that, as of 1:00 p.m. on Dec. 2, the dining service schedule for this year’s winter break is not available yet. Like other breaks, most campus dining will operate on a shortened schedule before fully shutting down for at least a day or two. Thanks to the winter holidays, however, these closures will almost certainly be longer.

While my worries regarding this year’s winter break were lifted by the folks behind Bully’s Pantry and their dedication to keeping students fed, I can not help but feel that something more needs to be done. It should not come down to such a small team to be looking out for the students staying through all of December.