SE: K-State Athletics Partners with Cats’ Cupboard with Hygiene Hijack Program
Dec 18, 2018 | Sports Extra, Athletics, Evans Student-Athlete Success Program
By Corbin McGuire
Meghan King had heard plenty about Fairchild Hall on K-State's campus — it's where a lot of her international tennis teammates spend their days for the English Language Program — but she had never been in the building until this month.
So, when King made her way into the 1894-built structure and navigated through its limestone hallways to the basement, she was taken back by where she ended up.
Alongside K-State track and field's Brett Neelly and Morgan Coffman, King stood inside Cats' Cupboard, the university's food pantry for students. The trio was there to deliver K-State SAAC's first donation from its Hygiene Hijack community service project, in which Wildcats collected spare hotel hygiene products on road trips.
Seeing all that Cats' Cupboard offered, as well as students coming in for the items, put the trip in a different perspective.
"Sure, I'd heard a lot about Cats' Cupboard," King said, "but by seeing the shelves themselves and how some items, such as the hygiene items, were very sparse, it was very impactful to see that students really do need these items."
Neelly felt much the same way.
"It was very humbling," he said. "Having the opportunity and the platform to give back to people that are less fortunate than we are… a lot of people make a big deal about going the extra step, and it kind of got to my heart thinking about how easy it was when you travel so much. It's really easy to take a few things from the hotel, and that could make somebody's day or week, just by doing something so little."
In total, K-State's student-athletes donated more than 300 items to the Cats' Cupboard, which averaged about 120 visits from students a week in November. Wildcats started collecting these items last spring. They included makeup wipes, shower caps, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shower gel/body wash and mouth wash.
"Hygiene products are expensive, so if you're struggling to purchase food, you're probably struggling to get those items as well, and that's something we all need," Erin Bishop, coordinator at Cats' Cupboard, said. "It builds confidence. We all need it, just like we all need food."
In terms of time and money put in, Hygiene Hijack certainly requires very little but still goes a long way. It also goes directly to students, giving K-State student-athletes a direct and meaningful connection to the people they are helping.
"As athletes, K-State Athletics really takes care of us, and we're fortunate enough and blessed enough to travel all over the country for competition. Sometimes we forget that there are other students that we sit in class next to every day that might not have hygiene security, who don't know where their next bar of soap is going to come from," King said. "We're already at these hotels, so the least we could do is just pick up these extra items, throw them in our suitcase on our way home and give back to the community that supports us on the court or field."
Cats' Cupboard opened in September of 2017, after a study on K-State's campus determined 39.4 percent of the students who reported financial hardship indicated they had difficulty affording food.
Since then, it has received more than 700 unique visitors and 3,455 total visits from K-State students. It has also made a number of partnerships to expand what it offers and its reach.
K-State's Animal Sciences and Industry department within the College of Agriculture has started offering $20 vouchers for a limited number of students to be able to use at Call Hall for ground beef, eggs, milk and cheese. The milling science club has also donated flour and pancake mix, while one of the horticulture classes has contributed some of its hydroponically grown lettuce as well. Through Hygiene Hijack, K-State Athletics became another valuable partner.
"It's a great partnership because our student-athletes are leaders on our campus, and for them to be able to help keep our shelves stocked and support their peers and classmates is amazing," Bishop said. "I think it really goes to show that athletics cares for the rest of the students."
After seeing it in person, King said she's going to start advocating for an even bigger Hygiene Hijack collection this year.
"I will definitely go back to my team and spread the word as we're going into our upcoming season, that something so simple can have such a big impact," she said. "It's not like we're spending our own money or spending 12 hours out of our day volunteering. It's something that, on our way out of our hotel, takes two minutes, and it's so impactful."
For those interested in donating to Cats' Cupboard, there are a few different options.
The first is by bringing in donations, like K-State Athletics did, to 009-Fairchild — a list of accepted items are listed on the Cats' Cupboard website. There is also a drop-off station at the K-State Student Union by the Cats' Den convenience store. Another avenue to contribute is through the Cats' Cupboard Amazon page, where items purchased are delivered directly to Fairchild. Lastly, monetary donations can be made through the Cats' Cupboard K-State Foundation page.
Meghan King had heard plenty about Fairchild Hall on K-State's campus — it's where a lot of her international tennis teammates spend their days for the English Language Program — but she had never been in the building until this month.
So, when King made her way into the 1894-built structure and navigated through its limestone hallways to the basement, she was taken back by where she ended up.
Alongside K-State track and field's Brett Neelly and Morgan Coffman, King stood inside Cats' Cupboard, the university's food pantry for students. The trio was there to deliver K-State SAAC's first donation from its Hygiene Hijack community service project, in which Wildcats collected spare hotel hygiene products on road trips.
Seeing all that Cats' Cupboard offered, as well as students coming in for the items, put the trip in a different perspective.
"Sure, I'd heard a lot about Cats' Cupboard," King said, "but by seeing the shelves themselves and how some items, such as the hygiene items, were very sparse, it was very impactful to see that students really do need these items."
Neelly felt much the same way.
"It was very humbling," he said. "Having the opportunity and the platform to give back to people that are less fortunate than we are… a lot of people make a big deal about going the extra step, and it kind of got to my heart thinking about how easy it was when you travel so much. It's really easy to take a few things from the hotel, and that could make somebody's day or week, just by doing something so little."
In total, K-State's student-athletes donated more than 300 items to the Cats' Cupboard, which averaged about 120 visits from students a week in November. Wildcats started collecting these items last spring. They included makeup wipes, shower caps, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shower gel/body wash and mouth wash.
"Hygiene products are expensive, so if you're struggling to purchase food, you're probably struggling to get those items as well, and that's something we all need," Erin Bishop, coordinator at Cats' Cupboard, said. "It builds confidence. We all need it, just like we all need food."
In terms of time and money put in, Hygiene Hijack certainly requires very little but still goes a long way. It also goes directly to students, giving K-State student-athletes a direct and meaningful connection to the people they are helping.
"As athletes, K-State Athletics really takes care of us, and we're fortunate enough and blessed enough to travel all over the country for competition. Sometimes we forget that there are other students that we sit in class next to every day that might not have hygiene security, who don't know where their next bar of soap is going to come from," King said. "We're already at these hotels, so the least we could do is just pick up these extra items, throw them in our suitcase on our way home and give back to the community that supports us on the court or field."
Cats' Cupboard opened in September of 2017, after a study on K-State's campus determined 39.4 percent of the students who reported financial hardship indicated they had difficulty affording food.
Since then, it has received more than 700 unique visitors and 3,455 total visits from K-State students. It has also made a number of partnerships to expand what it offers and its reach.
K-State's Animal Sciences and Industry department within the College of Agriculture has started offering $20 vouchers for a limited number of students to be able to use at Call Hall for ground beef, eggs, milk and cheese. The milling science club has also donated flour and pancake mix, while one of the horticulture classes has contributed some of its hydroponically grown lettuce as well. Through Hygiene Hijack, K-State Athletics became another valuable partner.
"It's a great partnership because our student-athletes are leaders on our campus, and for them to be able to help keep our shelves stocked and support their peers and classmates is amazing," Bishop said. "I think it really goes to show that athletics cares for the rest of the students."
After seeing it in person, King said she's going to start advocating for an even bigger Hygiene Hijack collection this year.
"I will definitely go back to my team and spread the word as we're going into our upcoming season, that something so simple can have such a big impact," she said. "It's not like we're spending our own money or spending 12 hours out of our day volunteering. It's something that, on our way out of our hotel, takes two minutes, and it's so impactful."
For those interested in donating to Cats' Cupboard, there are a few different options.
The first is by bringing in donations, like K-State Athletics did, to 009-Fairchild — a list of accepted items are listed on the Cats' Cupboard website. There is also a drop-off station at the K-State Student Union by the Cats' Den convenience store. Another avenue to contribute is through the Cats' Cupboard Amazon page, where items purchased are delivered directly to Fairchild. Lastly, monetary donations can be made through the Cats' Cupboard K-State Foundation page.
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