An ongoing issue that myself and other students can agree on all experiencing is the difficulty we have finding reliable access to groceries. Everyone, from Point Park freshman to seniors, based in Downtown will likely deal with food insecurity at some point.
This issue, in my opinion, is not always linked to financial struggle and often has more to do with the lack of clean produce, meat, poultry and diet-specific foods.
While I am aware that the university claims that the Ready2Ride bus pass can grant us access to many places – including grocery stores — the bus system should not be the only way students can get to a real grocery store. Relying on only one system for our groceries can lead to many issues that fall under accessibility concerns.
Within walking distance we have the Smithfield Street Target and Five Below, but if I’m being completely honest, the Smithfield Street options are completely awful.
Downtown Target employees frequently tell customers that prices at their location are more expensive due to the building being rented. Five Below is no better, as it provides absolutely nothing other than ultra-processed food.
So, if our options within walking distance are grim, and the bus system might not be the solution for everyone, what do we have on campus? On campus we have our Pioneer Pantry, which still needs an overhaul on user-friendliness when it comes to signing up for the service.
Point Café, Bison Bites and Brew and other campus dining facilities have a plethora of issues as well. From campus-wide mold scandals, to my own experience with food poisoning, dining on campus is not always the most nutritious — especially for those with dietary restrictions.
Campus dining is also not even inexpensive, with the lowest meal plan option being nearly $8,000.
If all of this is still not enough to convince you that Downtown, including our campus, is a food desert, there is one more aspect of our surroundings that is the final nail in the coffin: Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and other drugs are more readily available to students than grocery stores.
The biggest example of this is our University and Student Centers, located less than 1 minute walking distance away from smoke shops, beer shops and corner stores that have carried substances that are incredibly damaging to the mind as well as the body.
Our city had plans to put a grocery store within walking distance of our campus, but that plan collapsed. A new one should be pitched soon to help ease the hunger of the food desert Downtown.