Thanks to a generous gift from alumni Ranbir Singh, the Feed the Pack Food Pantry has taken a critical step in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its efforts to combat food insecurity on NC State’s campus.
Singh, who earned his Ph.D. in 1997 and a master’s degree from NC State in 1992, both in Electrical Engineering, is creating the pantry’s first endowment. Student Leadership and Engagement Associate Director Brian Mathis explained that the endowment’s annual investment returns will play a key role in sustaining the food pantry’s annual operating budget.
“Our food pantry is 100% dependent on donations and gifts,” Mathis said. “One of the things that we have to do as members of the Pack Essentials team, in conjunction with university development, is strategize to ensure we are continuing to meet our annual fundraising goals for the operations. The endowment, and growing the endowment, is a way that we can take a little bit of that pressure off because of sustainable money coming in.”
When Singh arrived at NC State in the fall of 1990 after earning his bachelor’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, he was struck by how welcoming the Office of International Students, the engineering department and the entire university community were to him.
I do feel that a whole lot of professional success that I’ve had is because of the training that I received at NC State.
Singh, who is now an executive vice president with Navitas, a leader in semiconductors, said that this gift is “just a small way of expressing my gratitude.”
“I do feel that a whole lot of professional success that I’ve had is because of the training that I received at NC State,” Singh said.
Singh’s inspiration to create the Ranbir Singh Food Insecurity Endowment runs much deeper than his gratitude for his student experiences.
It has to be for everybody.
Singh practices his faith as a member of the Sikh community. Central to the Sikh belief system is the tradition of giving food and feeding members of a person’s community. Singh explained that this is not just about feeding people to solve the problems of hunger and food insecurity but that eating together is a way to combat feelings of inequality.
“The issue that they were originally trying to solve is that everybody, whether they are poor or in a different social strata, is that if they eat together, it fosters community,” Singh said. “That’s why this donation is not just for one community, such as international or engineering students. It has to be for everybody.”
Mathis called Singh’s endowment a “leadership gift,” as he hopes that others will step up to contribute to the endowment going forward, increasing the amount of the investment and the returns that the pantry can draw from each year.
He said that Singh’s story of coming to NC State as an international student and finding a community represents the pantry’s mission of helping all students, and Mathis hopes his story can be an inspiration for others.
“This has been a big dream of ours and a big goal, starting an endowment for Feed the Pack,” Mathis said. “So we are so grateful that he not only is making that commitment to help start this endowment, but with such a generous gift to do that. I hope that sets the example for not just our students who use the pantry, but all of our students. There are ways to give and support NC State after becoming alums that really empower current students to be successful during their time here.”
Singh said he hopes his gift represents his beliefs as a way to combat food insecurity and build community among students from all walks of life.
“Those who are facing food insecurity should find this to be a place where they can go without any hesitation, and hopefully share the food with their roommates, dorm mates, apartment mates like I did,” Singh said. “We used to live where many students would come together and eat together. Hopefully this will engender a sharing amongst friends and colleagues and encourage them, when they are able, to also nurture this effort.”
Please visit Feed the Pack’s website for information on how you can support the pantry. For endowment questions, please contact Nicki Peterson at (919) 513-1337 or napeters@ncsu.edu.
This post was originally published in DASA.
