SUNY Polytechnic Institute (NY) recently launched their Poly Pantry Food Lockers, providing students with 24/7 access to essential food and hygiene items. Students can scan their codes at a locker unit’s centralized kiosk to use the lockers for up to 72 hours. The idea is to seamlessly make items available to students while maintaining both privacy and efficiency.
The locker units – some for products that need to be refrigerated and others for unrefrigerated items – cost between $45,000 to $50,000 each, depending on IT updates needed for their kiosk systems, reported the Utica Phoenix. They were made possible through a SUNY pilot program and a grant from the SUNY Transformation Fund.
“SUNY Poly joins our peers at the SUNY system in our shared commitment to combating food insecurity, as the rising costs of food have led more students to rely on campus pantries,” Andrea LaGatta, SUNY Poly Vice President of Institutional Advancement, told the paper. “Ensuring that our students have access to nutritious food is essential to their academic success and overall well-being, and we are grateful for the support from SUNY System, our local partners, and campus community in making this possible.”
Read more about and see photos of the new food lockers here and here.
