ESU Baby Pantry Stocked with Donations

Baby pantry

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on June 2, 2021, No Comments

During the spring 2021 semester East Stroudsburg University senior Stacy Canter, a social work major from East Stroudsburg, Pa., was an intern in the Gender and Sexuality Center on campus. Her responsibilities included managing the center’s social media and assisting with programing. In addition to that work, Canter also took the lead on stocking the baby pantry. The pantry was developed in 2019 by another student, Robin Lewis ’19. Lewis was also an intern at the GSC and was tasked with finding a need on campus that was not currently being met. She created a baby pantry to better support student parents.

Ariel Tucci, interim director of ESU’s gender and sexuality center, oversaw Canter’s internship. “Having this resource available on our campus eases some stress and anxiety for student parents,” Tucci said. “Many of the student parents at ESU work full and part time jobs while attending classes all while supporting and raising their families. The baby pantry’s purpose is to ease some of the stressors of being a parent while they earn their degree. Being able to get some supplies on campus alleviates some financial stress and helps with time management. One less stop to make while going from campus to work to home can give a student more time to study, focus on the responsibilities of parenthood, and practice some self-care.”

Canter told one of her professors, Michelle DiLauro, Ph.D., about the baby pantry project. The associate professor of social work was happy to help find donations. Dr. DiLauro brought the project to the social concerns committee of her church, Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church in Tannersville. The committee made ESU’s baby pantry a part of their Mother’s Day collection. Most of the items are for babies up to one-year-old.

The efforts of Canter and DiLauro resulted in over 140 baby product donations including diapers, blankets, and clothing.

For more information about the  baby pantry, to make a donation, or to make arrangements to pick up supplies, please contact Tucci by calling (570) 422-2733 or emailing atucci@esu.edu.