Reimagining Food Access at ECU's Hungry For Change Conference

I had the honor of delivering the opening keynote at East Carolina University’s inaugural Hungry for Change conference. I left feeling deeply grateful — and genuinely encouraged. 

 

The conference theme was “From Awareness to Action,” and what I appreciated was not just the conversation about student hunger, but the energy in the room. More than 100 students, campus leaders, pantry teams, and community partners were all there because we believe food insecurity is not something we simply study or talk about. It is something we respond to together. 

 

I was especially proud to be there alongside Ramya Mabry, who leads ECU’s Williams-Ross Purple Pantry, one of our incredible campus partners. Her leadership is a powerful reminder that real change often begins close to the ground: listening carefully, noticing what students are carrying, and building practical solutions with dignity at the center. 

 

In my keynote, I shared that student hunger is community hunger. It is shaped by the same rising costs, transportation barriers, housing pressures, and impossible choices we see every day across our region. A student may be going to class, working, caring for family, and planning for the future — and still quietly wondering where their next meal might come from. 

 

That reality is heavy. But the gathering at ECU reminded me that we are surrounded by people who are choosing action anyway. 

 

We are navigating a challenging season, and I know the weight of it is real. But I also know this team. I know your creativity, your care, and your commitment to finding a way forward when the path is complicated.

 

We do not need to have every answer before we take the next right step. Sometimes action looks like strengthening one partnership. Sometimes it looks like removing one barrier. Sometimes it looks like asking a better question, or making sure a neighbor feels seen and respected when they ask for help. 

 

I left ECU reminded that this work is hard, but it is also full of possibility. Thank you for being part of that possibility every day. 

– Amy Beros Food Bank President & CEO

From awareness to action.  

That was the theme of this year’s inaugural Hungry for Change conference at East Carolina University.  

The conference brought together students, university leaders, community partners, and food system advocates from across the UNC System to address how hunger is impacting college campuses. 

“I said, ‘Why are we not having conversations together?” said Ramya Mabry. 

Mabry, ECU’s Purple Pantry Coordinator and conference organizer, saw conversations about student hunger happening across different organizations and wanted to bring them together in one space. 

“We’re having them in our conference rooms. We’re having them in our institutions. We’re having them with others in the community, but why are we not having them together as a collective?” 

Student hunger is not separate from community hunger. According to the Carolina Hunger Initiative, more than 22% of college students experience food insecurity.  

You can be strong, you can be ambitious, you can be the most educated person in the room, and still need help.

– Ramya Mabry ECU Purple Pantry Coordinator & Conference Organizer

In fact, across the country, 2.2 million students are skipping meals or reducing the food they eat. And in Pitt County, 1 in 6 neighbors are food insecure. That equates to over 30,000 children, seniors, and adults. 

We cannot expect students to navigate hunger on their own, especially when they are already navigating classes, jobs, caregiving, and everything else life is asking of you.

– Amy Beros Food Bank President & CEO

However, Beros said the good news is that campuses across North Carolina are already showing what practical, effective action looks like, including at ECU, with solid retail partnerships and strong community connections. 

During the 2025-2026 school year, the pantry served more than 2,600 students.  

At NC State University, the Feed the Pack pantry supports more than 750 people each month and provided more than 100,000 meals during the 2025-2026 school year.  

Mabry shared that for pantries looking to expand their reach or for those just getting started, she encourages them to lean on the connections they’ve already built.  

“Your network is your net worth."

She also hopes that college pantries know they are not alone and that they are all working together in the fight against hunger.