Tigers Fight Hunger Available for Students Needing a Helping Hand

Tigers Fight Hunger is an organization for the University of Memphis that outreaches to staff and students by supplying a free food and toiletry bank, yet many students have no idea it exists.

This program is in partnership with AmeriCorps Vista, and their Memphis representative and UofM alumni Alex Tucker believes this organization can be the difference of having a relatively stress-free college life or quitting school altogether to focus on survival.

“The biggest thing that drives me is the students because I just graduated from Memphis in May,” Tucker said, “Being a student myself, I was fortunate to not struggle so it is difficult when you hear stories of those in front of you.”

Tigers Fight Hunger actually started as an anonymous food and clothes pantry in the history department of the UofM back in 2015. Tucker said that faculty noticed several students came into class struggling because they were more stressed out with not being able to afford food and some clothes because of the weight of school.

From there it only began to grow, and it was in 2017 when Student Affairs took over it and were able to receive funding and grants to make it an official program within the university. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and always keeps it as discrete as possible.

In order to be able to get food and toiletries if needed, all that is required is an application to that asks a few questions and that can be done in the UC 359.  Tucker wanted students to know that no student is looked at a certain way regardless of any situation because she understands people tend to struggle asking for help.

“You don’t necessarily have to be starving to get help,” Tucker said, “We can have students that simply need granola bars to kick off the day and that’s totally fine.”

Tigers Fight Hunger is looking to expand and develop into a student hunger task force in the near future but for now they are ecstatic about where they are now as opposed to where they began.

Additional information can be found on their website at www.memphis.edu/tigers-fight-hungerand to keep up with updates and events, their Instagram is Tigers Fight Hunger.