AMES, Iowa — According to ISU Student Wellness, 31% or nearly one-third of Iowa State’s students are food insecure.

One student organization is working to lower the number of food-insecure students with a food pantry.

The SHOP, which stands for Students Helping Our Peers, is a student organization-run food pantry at Iowa State University that provides food for food-insecure students.

April Lopez, a Wellness Program Specialist with the Student Wellness Department at Iowa State University, said that SHOP aims to lower the stigma around food insecurity and to help provide students with food.

“Being able to contribute to this work is very meaningful because food insecurity and asking for help comes with a lot of stigma and a lot of shame and so to be able to try to destigmatize asking for help is really important,” Lopez said.

To learn more about SHOP and food insecurity among ISU students visit SHOP’s website.