Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) has established a new partnership with Hickory Corner Farms, providing locally sourced meats to Lincoln’s Cupboard, the university’s on-campus food pantry available to students, faculty and staff. Through this collaboration, LMU has received hundreds of pounds of fresh pork sausage, ground beef and ham steaks to help combat food insecurity within the LMU community.
This partnership was made possible through Second Harvest Food Bank who facilitates relationships between local farmers and food pantries in need. Recognizing a need for additional food resources at Lincoln’s Cupboard, Second Harvest reached out to LMU to gauge interest in receiving donations from Hickory Corner Farms. With no other pantry designated to receive products from the farm, LMU was pleased to take full advantage of this opportunity.
“This partnership is truly a blessing,” said Dr. Melinda Turner, LMU Women of Service member who helps oversee operations at Lincoln’s Cupboard. “We are incredibly grateful for Second Harvest Food Bank and Hickory Corner Farms for making this possible. Their generosity ensures that our LMU community has access to high-quality, locally sourced protein at no cost.”
With food insecurity increasing on college campuses across the country, students from Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) and LMU-Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM) have stepped up to expand the hours of operation at Lincoln’s Cupboard. The pantry was established in 2016 by the LMU Women of Service organization. It is administered by WOS with the assistance of student volunteers from LMU-DCOM and LMU-CVM. From July 1 to December 19, 2024, Lincoln’s Cupboard had 1,449 visits for food and essential items.
The donated meat is received on a rolling basis as supply allows, ensuring that Lincoln’s Cupboard can regularly offer fresh options to those who utilize the pantry. Each donation is carefully recorded and processed through established reporting procedures with Second Harvest which helps to further strengthen the efficiency and sustainability of the program.
Lincoln’s Cupboard aims to bridge the gap by providing LMU students and employees with hygiene items, household supplies, blankets and pillows, meat, vegetables, fruits, and shelf-stable milk, among other items. In addition to the main Lincoln’s Cupboard, satellite pantries are available at various LMU learning sites, including the DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center in Ewing, Virginia, and multiple locations in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Meeting the food and basic essential needs of the LMU family is the LMU Women of Service’s way of contributing to students' ability to concentrate on their academics instead of worrying where their next meal comes from,” said Turner.
For more information about Lincoln’s Cupboard and how to support its mission, visit: https://www.lmunet.edu/community/women-of-service/pathways-of-service.
To donate to Lincoln’s Cupboard, visit: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/28518/donations/new?designation=woslincolnscupboard.
