By Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications.
On January 20, George Mason University expanded one of its most essential student support services. The Patriot Pantry officially opened a new location at Mason Square, extending food security resources to a campus that primarily serves graduate and professional students.
Operated by the Basic Needs Services team at the Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC), the Pantry provides nonperishable food and hygiene products to students experiencing food insecurity. The service is designed to reduce stigma and remove barriers that can interfere with academic success.
From classroom project to campus resource
The idea to expand the Patriot Pantry to Mason Square began with students who noticed a gap. Julia Frost (Environmental Science’25), Crystal Park (Environment and Sustainability Studies’25), Isabella Barrera (Environment and Sustainability Studies’25), and Noah Brown (Business’25) met in EVPP 480: Sustainability in Action. Through their research project mentored by Jennifer Sklarew, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, they identified food access as a particular challenge for Mason Square’s predominantly graduate and professional student population.
“Food insecurity is a challenge no one should have to face, yet many do,” Barrera said. “Our goal is to help ensure that all students have access to a basic human right: food.”
Through partnership with SSAC, the students’ observations became part of an existing network of basic needs support. With funding from a Mason Impact Mini Grant awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the students funded the storage cabinet now used for Pantry order pickup. SSAC assumed responsibility for operations, integrating the Mason Square location into its broader Basic Needs Services model and ensuring the Pantry would function as a permanent, low-barrier resource.
Addressing basic needs as a foundation for success
The Patriot Pantry at Mason Square builds on a service with a long history at George Mason. What began nearly 12 years ago on the Fairfax Campus as a volunteer-led effort became a permanent student service in 2016, housed within SSAC. Since then, Pantry usage has increased by 990 percent.
The expansion was also supported by funds from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) through the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program. These funds will be used to stock the Patriot Pantry at Mason Square with nonperishable food items and essential hygiene product, with additional support provided by a $10,000 College Pantry Grant from the Capital Area Food Bank, awarded to SSAC at a time when demand for basic needs support continues to grow.
Dwayne Hamilton Jr., assistant director for basic needs services, emphasized the Pantry’s role in supporting students from diverse economic backgrounds, particularly graduate students who are often overlooked in higher education support services.
“Addressing basic needs concerns through the Patriot Pantry at Mason Square moves students toward the ideal experience at George Mason: freedom and learning,” he said.
Van Metre Hall. Photo by Dwayne Hamilton Jr.
Students can now place orders through the Patriot Pantry at Mason Square order page and pick up items in the cabinet in the Student Lounge in Van Metre Hall, Room 211—a discreet, accessible location designed to prioritize privacy and dignity.
Community members may also support the Pantry by donating nonperishable food and hygiene products through the Amazon Wishlist, contributing to the Student Food and Housing Insecurity Fund, or dropping off donations in the Student Lounge in Van Metre Hall, Room 211. A full list of accepted items is available on the Patriot Pantry homepage.