Beginning in January 2026, Elwood’s Cabinet — Longwood’s campus food pantry — officially moved from its off-campus location at Wesley Campus Ministry to the third floor of Upchurch University Center in Room 306. Elwood’s Cabinet boasts a wide variety of food, hygiene and kitchen products.
Michael Leath, the executive director of Elwood’s Cabinet, told The Rotunda, “We have been looking into what our strengths and weaknesses are, and a big weakness of ours was just that not enough people knew about us, for one, and knew where we were.”
Cheryl Steele, associate vice president for student engagement and initiatives, and adviser for Elwood’s Cabinet, told The Rotunda, “We all felt that if we could get it on campus, students would use it more.”
As a part of the move, Elwood’s Cabinet now offers a wider selection of items. Leath said, “We really only had canned foods and boxed pastas. We started doing hygiene products, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash — everything that you need.” Furthermore, Elwood’s Cabinet now offers cooking utensils and recently partnered with AFROH to provide specific products for curly and textured hair.
Steele said the move was prompted by, “A combination of [factors]. People didn't know where it was, weren’t comfortable going in there, thinking it was a church. All sorts of different things, and just a lack of knowledge.” She added, “Then, we had an opportunity to put it in Upchurch, [and] that seemed to make really good sense.”
Another big part of the move was making Elwood’s Cabinet more accessible to students living both on-and-off campus. Leath said, “We had the opportunity to put Elwood's Cabinet in a more central position on campus and make it more accessible for everyone.”
In addition to moving on Campus, Elwood’s cabinet has recently added weekend hours. Leath said, “[Our hours] from the beginning have been Monday and Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m. Recently, one of the things implemented was adding Saturday [hours] from 12 to 4. Just so it increases availability for students that have late classes or who just can't make it during the weekday for commuter students.”
Elwood’s Cabinet has been in continuous operation since 2018 after a partnership between the Student Government Association and Wesley Campus Ministry, working to combat food insecurity on campus.
Leath, then-Elwood’s Cabinet Representative to the SGA, told The Rotunda in 2024, “Elwood’s Cabinet is all about fighting food insecurity, as someone who has gone through phases of my life where a meal on the table was not guaranteed. Elwood’s Cabinet is very meaningful to me and can be very meaningful to many students on campus.”
More information about Elwood’s Cabinet and their mission can be found on their Instagram, @elwoodscabinet, or their website, https://sites.google.com/view/....
