NKU’s student food pantry hosted FUEL Friday in the Albright Center’s first-floor lobby for two hours this morning, offering supplies to those still on campus.

“There are students who are local, work, must finish out a lease, still work on campus or are from out of the country,” said Nick Bliven, FUEL NKU’s program coordinator. “Just because they are not in classes does not mean they are not working hard. Our numbers do go down compared to the Fall and Spring semester, but we still have numbers.”

 The average number of students who go to FUEL NKU during the summer is about 40-50, compared to around 200 students during the fall and spring semesters.

 FUEL still has regular hours during the summer, Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Albright Health Center. There, students have tons of fresh produce, frozen, refrigerated and non-perishable food items. There are also hygiene products available. All items are free, but students are limited to two visits a week.

FUEL NKU celebrated its 12th anniversary in the spring. Bliven said he appreciates being able to see the center’s growth.

 “I started with the pantry in the pandemic, and shortly after, it feels full circle to see what we’ve accomplished in five years to help people and expand our reach,” he said.

 Bliven started working for FUEL NKU “to give back and to pass the time, as I had just graduated from NKU.”

 He eventually became its leader.

 “Helping this area for so many years is just paying it forward. I want to make sure we can still support students’ studies and stay in classes, stay successful and not have to worry about food,” he said. “I wanted to keep things going. We are working with the library to archive articles, to reflect and see what the campus continues to change and how we continue to change.”

 Blevin said it feels “surreal and humbling” to make a difference.

He said, “I went here as a student, so to have that connection is pretty powerful.”