From needing help to giving it: K-State's Cats' Cupboard director shares personal connection to food insecurity
For Shelly Williams, helping K-State students access food and other necessities is more than just a job. It's personal.
As the director of Cats' Cupboard, K-State's on-campus food pantry, Williams works to help students overcome challenges that extend beyond the classroom. But her connection to the pantry's mission goes back to her own time as a K-State student.
"I was a nontraditional first-gen student. I remember taking my newborn with me to finals my senior year, and being food insecure while pursuing a degree. It can be done, but it's very challenging and very taxing."
Williams graduated from K-State in 2014. Now, more than a decade later, she is helping students navigate some of the same challenges she once faced.
According to Williams, results from the spring 2026 National College Health Assessment showed that 40% of surveyed students on K-State's Manhattan campus identified as food insecure, meaning they lacked consistent, reliable access to the food they needed.
Cats' Cupboard helps address that need by providing students with food, hygiene products and kitchen supplies at no cost.
For K-State junior Kara Floresch, the pantry has become a helpful resource while balancing the financial responsibilities that come with being a college student.
"I just appreciate the amount of resources that it has for us. College is really expensive especially when I am paying for rent and utilities and things like that along with college so having Cats Cupboard as somewhere I can go and get food and resources is really helpful."
All K-State students can visit Cats' Cupboard once a day, selecting up to 25 items ranging from food and hygiene products to kitchen supplies. Students can register online before visiting or complete the registration process when they arrive.
Williams said one of the biggest misconceptions about food insecurity among college students is the belief that struggling to afford meals is simply part of the college experience. She hopes Cats' Cupboard can help change that perception.
Having once relied on support herself, Williams understands that asking for help isn't always easy. But she wants students to know that the K-State community is there to support them.
"Just know that there's a lot of people that care really deeply about you as an individual and about your success, and I'm proud to be one of those individuals."
For Williams, her work at Cats' Cupboard is an opportunity to give back to the university community that she was once a part of, helping students focus on their education without having to worry as much about putting food on the table.
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