The Food Closet at UH-Maui College was created as a pilot program under the Maui Food Bank last fall to help ease the burden of food costs for students so they can focus on their studies. It has since expanded to the whole campus. Photos courtesy Melissa Kunitzer
When a college student is hungry while also worrying about rent or child care or other life stressors, it’s hard to focus on school work and class projects.
That’s why the University of Hawaii formed the UH Basic Needs Committee with representatives from every campus in 2019 to better understand and address these insecurities in the student population, with solutions such as creating a food closet.
“If we can help relieve that worry, the student will stay studying, do well on their homework, exam, and project, pass their course, and ultimately graduate and attain their degree,” said Melissa Kunitzer, instructional designer for Title III Mu’o A’e Student Success Program and Maui College campus rep on the UH Basic Needs Committee. “We all know that life happens, but if the student can get help, hopefully, they can better weather that storm.”
In October, the UH-MC Food Closet opened on campus to address food insecurity. It started as a program under the Maui Food Bank with the goal of expanding into a food pantry with fresh and frozen food, baby products, women’s products and supplies.
The Food Closet currently offers canned meats, soups, vegetables, fruits and two or five pounds of rice, Kunitzer said. Volunteers assemble 10-pound bags of canned goods for students to pick up. Each student can receive one to four bags per visit depending on their household size.
The Food Closet at UH-Maui College offers products such as canned vegetables and meat, as well as bags of rice. The college hopes to expand to a food pantry with fresh and frozen food, baby products, women’s products and supplies. Photo courtesy Melissa Kunitzer
“Some students may only need one bag if they live alone, and some may need more,” she said. “We intend to feed the household.”
The committee was in a test pilot phase with two small groups for the past semester, but the Food Closet has since opened to the whole UH-MC campus as part of the Maui Food Bank’s ‘Ohana Drop Program.
All instructors or staff can refer their students to the pantry, she said.
Kunitzer said they have distributed 740 pounds of food to students since the fall of 2022 during the testing phase.
“We helped connect students to agencies for dental and health services, child care, mental health needs, transportation, utilities, and rental assistance, in addition to receiving food,” she added.
UH-Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana explained in a November column in The Maui News that “the more food we can provide, the more students can spend on rent, gas, books, all their other needs.”
If a student visits the closet for food, the Basic Needs Committee checks to see if that student has other needs and then connects them with UH-MC’s partner agencies like the Campus Health Center, Maui Economic Opportunity, Hawaii Nutrition Employment and Training, Maui Family Support Services or other counselors.
Student hunger still remains a statewide and nationwide problem. According to the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, students across the U.S. experienced high levels of basic needs insecurity, with 39 percent experiencing food insecurity and 46 percent experiencing housing insecurity, while 17 percent experienced homelessness.
UH contracted with The Hope Center to administer the #RealCollege Survey to students across all 10 campuses in the UH System last year. The study found that 58 percent of UH-MC respondents experienced some form of basic needs insecurity, with 39 percent experiencing food insecurity in the previous 30 days, 44 percent experiencing housing insecurity in the past 12 months and 14 percent experienced homelessness in the previous 12 months.
This was an improvement from 2021, when 66 percent of UH-MC students experienced at least one form of basic needs insecurity, the report said.
To ensure that UH students’ basic needs are met, the university created a UH System Student Basic Needs Master Plan, a three-year outlook that identifies a list of priorities, such as adjusting the staffing levels to meet student needs, making policy changes, providing education opportunities and building partnerships, according to the report.
“Our volunteer campus basic needs committee created our inventory tracking system and surveys, provides professional input when making decisions, and is helping to see our three-year plan come true,” Kunitzer said. “We hope to expand the Food Closet to include fresh produce, frozen foods, and female and baby products.”
She noted that this program “would not be possible without” the chancellor, Hokoana; Ben Guerrero, Maui campus representative to the UH System Basic Needs Committee; the campus committee; and the administration’s help and support.
For more information on the UH System Student Basic Needs Master Plan, visit
* Dakota Grossman can be reached at .
- The Food Closet at UH-Maui College offers products such as canned vegetables and meat, as well as bags of rice. The college hopes to expand to a food pantry with fresh and frozen food, baby products, women’s products and supplies. Photo courtesy Melissa Kunitzer
- The Food Closet at UH-Maui College was created as a pilot program under the Maui Food Bank last fall to help ease the burden of food costs for students so they can focus on their studies. It has since expanded to the whole campus. Photos courtesy Melissa Kunitzer
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