The Iowa State University Student Government voted to allocate $12,000 towards expanding Students Helping Our Peers (SHOP), a student run pantry.

The pantry now includes toiletry items and a greater variety of multicultural food items. SHOP also offers perishables, in addition to the non-perishable food they already provide. 

SHOP’s purpose is to aid food insecure students by providing foods and toiletries to the student population. It is completely volunteer-based, while relying on donations and partnerships to provide for students.

Belinda Heckman, a senior majoring in global resource systems and president of SHOP, and Sierra Weldon, a senior majoring in dietetics and treasurer of SHOP spoke to the Student Government about their increase in demand.

Heckman said in September SHOP helped 300 people with food aid, and gave away 5,000 pounds of food. Compared to spring 2021 they had given away 2,000 pounds of food.

“The core most fundamental rule of Student Government funding is to fund things that help students,” said Student Government Finance Director Mason Zastrow, a senior majoring in political science. “Our challenge is to make the student experience better for alland that’s something this absolutely does fulfill.”

There were some concerns that pointed out that this bill violates the Student Government’s priorities and criteria (P&C), which does not allow Student Government to fund an organization that does not produce at least $20 of income. Which brought forward the question of what can or can’t be an exception to the priorities and criteria.

“I would prefer we had an exception written into P&C specifically for charitable organizations,” said the Chair of Student Initiatives Advait M. a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. “That way we have a clear standard for all organizations and were not handling it sort of arbitrarily on a case by case basis.”

Ex-officio Secretary Trevor Poundstone, a senior in management information systems, spoke to Student Government about the Ames City Council joint meeting with Student Government. He spoke of the Ames climate action plan which plans to reduce carbon emission to become carbon neutral by 2040.

This project was created by a consulting agency and sets a plan that outlines reduction of emissions with set deadlines.

Poundstone said there are many complaints about the university power source and this plan will hopefully encourage the city to move toward something more sustainable.

Before the Student Government Senate meeting started, Sen. Natalia Ríos Martinez, a senior majoring in political science and Natalie Nepper, a sophomore majoring in industrial design conducted an optional presentation about microaggressions toward marginalized groups on campus.

On Monday, Oct. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. there will be a town hall on community energy to inform on emissions planning and target setting.

The City of Ames will host a multicultural town hall on Nov. 15.