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'One less thing to worry about' | St. Edward's opens pantry to help students with food insecurity

The pantry is part of a partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank to let students get the food that they need for free.

AUSTIN, Texas — Food insecurity continues to be a huge problem in Austin, especially for some college students.

The Central Texas Food Bank says around 40% of college students need food assistance at some point. Now St. Edward’s University has teamed up with the food bank and the city of Austin to provide a food pantry on campus where students can get food for free.

"Students can't do well in the classroom without proper nutrition," said Central Texas Food Bank CEO Sari Vatske. "Their attendance and performance issues...we are really to ensure students are set up for success. It can be expensive to live. We want to make sure we are offsetting the overall student budget."

The food bank says it's investing $50,000 into the pantry, which is the last year of a 2-year partnership. This year, the pantry is moving to "The Huddle" which is in the heart of the campus.

RELATED: Waste-free nonprofit 'Sunday Lunchbox' fights food insecurity with free deliveries

"Being full-time working and a college student myself, I know how hard it is to find the time to get food, find time to prepare a meal, sometimes there is a not enough money, paying for tuition and everything, sometimes it's a hardship," said Ana Rodriguez, a senior at St. Edward's.

Rodriguez said she's glad to be a part of a partnership that is helping so many students.

"Seeing people like what I don’t have to pay for this? It feels good to know that our students have one less thing to worry about," Rodriguez said.

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