The Western Illinois University Social Media Lab has partnered with the WIU Food Pantry to help more students take advantage of available resources.
"Based on a study completed in my Campaigns course, we know that students who visit the pantry feel supported by the University," said Associate Professor of Communication and Social Media Lab Director Josh Averbeck. "We also know that too many students don't know the pantry exists, or how to use it."
Zaynab Yusuf, a graduate student in Communication, is serving as the intern with the social media lab to promote the pantry.
"I encountered many misconceptions about the pantry when I came to WIU and I would like to change that," said Zaynab.
Together Averbeck and Yusuf are updating website content, creating how-to videos, generating content, and engaging with organizations to raise awareness about the pantry.
Their efforts have paid off. Engagement is up over 370 percent on Instagram and 4,560 percent on Facebook since the beginning of the partnership.
"We know the pantry is a great resource for our students and we just want to shout it from the rooftops," said Averbeck.
The WIU Food Pantry opened in March 2018, and is currently housed in Horrabin Hall, room 10. This semester the pantry is open noon to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays, or by appointment.
For more information about the WIU Food Pantry, visit wiu.edu/pantry, or email wiufoodpantry@wiu.edu.
Categories: Illinois, Education