Student Support Foundation Has Relocated and Expanded

By Elizabeth Barden; Editor in Chief

On October 27, 2015

Pin It

COURTESY PHOTO/ STUDENT SUPPORT FOUNDATION

Student Support Foundation Has Relocated and Expanded

Elizabeth Barden

Editor in Chief

The Student Support Foundation, known as SSF, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. With that, they have recently taken part in the “Dream Big Project” which allowed them to expand their square footage by moving into what used to be the Bulk Mail Center.

This foundation is student-run and receives a small pot of funding from the Morgridge Family Foundation, which started in 2005 with a challenge grant from Carrie Morgridge. Her husband, John Morgridge, used to go to Plymouth State, having graduated in 1985, and when he and his family came up with the idea to start this foundation, he wanted to bring it back to his school. His parents currently live over in Holderness, NH.

The Morgridge Family Foundation offers the “Dream Big” project to all Student Support Foundations on different campuses. “Our Dream Big was to have a bigger space and we wanted to have our own meeting space as well,” said Anna Brown, president of Student Support Foundation. “It’s also to let other student orgs that run into a pickle use the space as well.”

Board members of Student Support Foundation and the volunteers at the pantry have worked toward getting the food pantry up and running in their new space. To improve the space they have gone in and painted the walls, added shelving space, a decorative carpet and a table equipped with chairs for more sitting room for meetings and event planning.

Donations made by PSU, including the table and chair set from Hyde and shelving, allowed the Student Support Foundation to save money and stay within the realm of their environmental sustainability efforts.

In order to receive assistance from the Student Support Foundation, you have to be an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student. To receive financial assistance and support, short-term or long-term, you must provide proof of need.

Financial assistance focuses on helping with emergency travel expenses (to get home), textbooks, gas expenses (in certain circumstances to get to and, or from on-going practicum) and payment toward future emergency medical or dental procedure. Assistance goes beyond these focuses.

The Student Support Foundation and their services are confidential, thus personal information will not be disclosed. Volunteers are trained to follow the policy as well.

“Last year we probably had about 70 students through the whole year with repeated visits,” said Brown. “Students are allowed to use the food pantry four times a semester unless they have other circumstances and we can grant them a weekly pass and that gives them permission to visit once a week.”

SSF is looking forward to see what the space will allow them to do in the upcoming months.

To find more information about the Student Support Foundation, please contact: