Support Students

We invite you to join us in efforts to address students’ basic needs. Below we have identified a few ways you can help support these efforts and our students.

Get to know our existing resources

Visit the newly renovated and expanded Corky’s Cupboard, ESU’s on-campus food pantry. The pantry, located in the Memorial Union at the south end of the Center for Student Involvement, is open Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m. In Corky’s Cupboard’s expanded space, the pantry is now able to offer healthy refrigerated items and fresh produce in addition to pantry staples.

Additionally, students have access to counseling, support groups, and other physical and mental health services at the Student Wellness Center; financial aid and emergency scholarships; free legal consultation for students; and more.

For more information about campus and community resources for students as well as for faculty and staff, visit Find Support.

Ensure students know about available resources

Talking openly about basic needs and the resources available can help reduce the stigma around these issues. Identify and incentivize actions to reach students in your area. We have identified strategies and resources instructors might find helpful in supporting students' basic needs and put together a faculty toolkit. For faculty, example strategies include posting about resources on Canvas, talking about them with students at various turning points throughout the semester, and adding a basic needs statement to syllabi, among many others. See a sample statement here.

Donate to support students’ basic needs

Donate to Corky’s Cupboard or the Emergency Scholarship Fund to support students in need. Visit the Emporia State Foundation's "Give Now" page, designate “Other,” and specify which fund you would like to support.

Get involved

If you would like to get more involved, there are several ways you can do so:

  • Students can join Hornets Against Hunger, a registered student organization committed to addressing food insecurity.

  • Student-athletes can join the ‘EAT Ambassador’ program to be a resource for teammates.

  • Faculty and staff members can join the Basic Needs Coalition or become a collaborating faculty or staff member of the EAT Initiative, an effort to combat food insecurity on our campus and in the Emporia community.

Visit Contact Us if you want to get involved or partner with the coalition.