Support locker alleviates food insecurity at WSU, say student workers
Nationwide, an estimated 23% of college students will experience food insecurity annually.
As defined by the American Psychological Association, food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods, and it is often associated with detrimental, at times debilitating, consequences. In addition to increased academic difficulties, students who struggle with reliable access to food also face higher rates of mental health complications, including anxiety, depression and stress.
The Kiah Duggins Shocker Support Locker seeks to address this problem on Wichita State’s campus.
The support locker was founded by the 58th session of the Student Government Association in 2015. In 2025, it was renamed in honor of Kiah Duggins ’17, who helped establish the locker while serving as SGA chief of staff.
Today, it continues to fight food insecurity among Shocker students by offering a variety of products – from food and clothing to hygiene, household and family items – available at no cost to Shocker students, faculty and staff.
Ben Hollingsworth, Shocker senior studying animation and student assistant at the Kiah Duggins Shocker Support Locker, sees firsthand the difference that the locker makes in the lives of students at WSU. “More students than you may realize struggle with food insecurity, especially if they lack reliable access to transportation,” Hollingsworth says. “There are options on and around campus, but going out to eat can be pretty expensive if you rely on it consistently.”
Graduate student in psychology Denazhia Williams worked at the Child Development Center before applying for a position as a student assistant for the support locker. In the time she’s worked there, she says she’s come to understand how vital it is for the wellbeing of others on campus. “Thousands of students visit the locker each year, and for some, that’s their primary source of food and hygiene products,” she says.
Hollingsworth says that the locker represents the wider culture of support at Wichita State. “I hear complaints from students at other universities that they struggle with complicated systems and processes, but that’s just not the case here,” he says. “At WSU, you have so many resources and champions for your success; the Shocker Support Locker is just one example of that support.”
And, like so many of the resources and opportunities at Wichita State, it’s made possible through private support.
Since moving from its previous location in Grace Wilkie Hall to the newly-renovated Shocker Success Center, the support locker has only grown – both in stock and patrons – says Williams. “When you donate, either with food or finances, to the Shocker Support Locker, the difference that you’re making is a direct one,” she says. “When students struggle, when they’re lacking access to basic necessities: This is where they go.”
Help students thrive this holiday season through a gift to the Shocker Support Locker.
