Last month, we published an op-ed from two UNC students highlighting the rising costs of groceries and calling on UNC-Chapel Hill to do more to address food insecurity on campus.
The school’s Media Relations Department sent the following response:
We appreciate the attention brought to this important issue; however, we would like to address some inaccuracies, highlight the work that is being done and request corrections where appropriate. Each instance of incorrect information is outlined below with the corresponding accurate information.
“UNC has taken small steps to address student hunger through promoting student-run initiatives like the Carolina Cupboard food pantry and limited emergency meal swipes. But these efforts, while well-intentioned, are Band-Aids on a gaping wound.”
UNC-Chapel Hill launched the Carolina Food Pantry Network (CFPN) in summer 2024. The CFPN showcases the many food security resources available to students and encompasses both University and student-facilitated resources. The Carolina Cupboard is one component of a network of pantries and food resources across campus, including those available in various schools and centers.
The meal swipe program, which will pilot in the 2025-2026 academic year, is not a student-run program; rather, it is supported by Carolina Dining Services and a student advocacy effort that was led by student government.
“The Carolina Cupboard’s offerings are mostly canned goods, inaccessible for students without kitchens, and the pantry is closed on weekends and breaks—when many students need it most.”
The CFPN Student and Academic Services Building (SASB) North location is operated in conjunction with the Carolina Cupboard. While all of the CFPN’s locations stock a variety of pantry staples, toiletry options, and some household supplies, the North location offers refrigerated and frozen products. The CFPN has many locations, with varying days and hours of operation to serve our students.
If students are experiencing food insecurity or know someone who is, they can submit a care referral form, supported by the Dean of Students office. Students who need to visit the pantry outside of regular hours of operation can contact the Dean of Students office at [email protected] and (919) 966-4042.
“This past semester’s announcement of a new meal-swipe donation program is promising, but limiting donations to one swipe per student falls short of the real need. If every undergrad donated one swipe, food-insecure students would receive only five swipes each—barely a week’s worth of meals.”
The meal swipe donation program is one component in a broader array of resources to address food insecurity across campus. These include free meals, a limited number of meal plans donated by Carolina Dining Services and distributed by Carolina Housing/Student Affairs, and additional emergency meal vouchers that the Dean of Students and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid distributes to students in need.
“Carolina Dining Services refused to allow recovered dining hall food to be redistributed through our fridge, prioritizing rigid partnerships over hungry students.”
CDS partners with the Food Recovery Network to donate surplus food from Top of Lenoir, Lenoir Mainstreet and Beach Cafe to both the Inter-Faith Council and Carolina Cupboard.
Eva Flowe wrote about Urban Ministries of Durham’s (UMD) efforts to serve a growing homeless population despite losing federal grants and fundraising revenue. A UMD board member called on Duke University to help fill funding gaps.
From reader George Lucaci by email:
Your recent, well-articulated, article highlighting the loss of two federal grants—totaling nearly $60,000—from FEMA and the USDA to the Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD) is a timely reminder of the precarious state of food security and homelessness in Durham. These challenges are not abstract statistics; they manifest in rising demand for meals, and increasing emergency shelter waitlists for individuals and families.
While inflation continues to elevate the cost of essentials—eggs, milk, produce, and other staples—the philanthropic and institutional responses have not kept pace with the growing need. Duke University is Durham’s largest employer and a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) institution that, by some estimates, would owe between $50 million and $100 million annually in property taxes if it were not exempt.
The “Duke Respect Durham” campaign has urged the university to voluntarily contribute Payments In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOTs), a model adopted in many other university towns. However, Duke has yet to formally commit to this framework. The emphasis on “voluntary” contributions renders any such efforts both episodic and insufficient.
To be fair, Duke has made notable contributions during times of acute crisis and has recently started to up its game. The Duke-Durham Fund, launched with $5 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided emergency assistance to nonprofits and small businesses. And the university has supported affordable housing initiatives, including a $22 million community deposit and partnerships with nonprofits such as the Durham Housing Authority. Duke has also enabled a $40 million federal housing grant, while directly contributing $1 million.
But context matters. These investments, while valuable, barely scratch the surface of Durham’s housing and food crises. A $1 million grant, however well-intended, is disproportionately small when considered alongside the university’s vast endowment—about $12 billion—(and its massive balance sheet with approximately $9 billion in revenue, including the medical center), and the scale of local need.
Duke initiatives like the recently formed Duke Center for Community Engagement offer promise, but there remains concern that Duke continues to define the terms of engagement without sufficient input from the communities most affected.
Community partnerships work best when they are mutual and accountable—not when they are top-down, strategic exercises in branding.
The other side of Duke’s track record includes its opposition to the regional light rail project, decisions that many believe have disadvantaged historically Black neighborhoods like Hayti, and a legacy of exclusionary land practices. These patterns reinforce a perception that the university engages with the city of Durham selectively, and only when it aligns with its own institutional goals in a noblesse oblige framework.
The current moment demands more. Urban Ministries of Durham, like many local nonprofits, faces rising need, diminishing government support, and stagnant philanthropic inflows. Duke, as a privileged anchor institution, must decide whether it views itself as a good neighbor or merely an occasional good Samaritan. The distinction matters.
Durham does not need more tightly curated “transformational partnerships” that leave gaps in frontline services. It needs urgent, flexible, and community-led investment—especially as homelessness and food insecurity grow more acute. Timely and sufficient funding to organizations like UMD is not charity; it is a civic responsibility.
It is time for Duke to bring its rhetoric of engagement in line with transparent, sustained action.
Durham is watching—and waiting.
Back in June, Chase Pellegrini de Paur answered a reader question—for our regular Ask INDY feature—about how much Durham Public Schools funding is diverted to charter schools. The write-up continues to draw reactions from readers.
From reader Lauren Sartain by email:
Thanks to the INDY for their continued coverage of Durham Public Schools. In a recent Ask INDY, a reader wanted to know how many tax-payer dollars are diverted from public schools to charter schools. An important piece of the answer to that question depends on HOW MANY of the county’s students are enrolled in charter schools. Luckily, the state releases that information: 8 percent of Wake County and 12 percent of Guilford County school-aged children are enrolled in charter schools; in Durham, 26 percent or about 1 of every 4 children attend a charter school. That’s a remarkable and stark difference across those urban counties that are in relatively close geographic proximity and that face similar challenges from the state. You can’t blame Durham parents for opting out of public schools given confusion about how to enroll students in school and aftercare, no transparency around teacher and staff pay scales, nearly $1 billion in piled-up deferred building maintenance and construction costs, and cuts to bus services (all issues that the INDY and The 9th Street Journal have covered). Another noteworthy fact: four of the seven elected DPS Board of Education seats will be on the ballot in March 2026; the last school board election in March 2024 was largely uncontested, which is, unfortunately, a familiar trend in Durham County school board elections.
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