The University of Galway food pantry, started by student Adam Mullins, plays an increasingly vital role in student welfareA student-operated food bank at the University of Galway is forced to turn away hundreds of students each week due to overwhelming demand, despite distributing almost €500,000-worth of food last year, as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. Law student Aly was one of the several hundred students who accessed the food pantry on Friday. The pantry works in partnership with FoodCloud, an Irish not-for-profit social enterprise which aims to tackle food insecurity by redistributing surplus food from supermarkets. Mullins describes the pantry as a community initiative rather than a food bank as he feared some students might be put off by the food bank label. “We don’t call ourselves a food bank, we call ourselves a food pantry.

Source: The Irish Times February 22, 2026 04:16 UTC