Troy Scheer, a first-year nursing student, has racked up five semesters of volunteer work with the Husker Pantry. The Husker is looking forward to continuing to serve others through his career in health care.

Scheer said he’s always naturally gravitated toward serving others, dating back all the way back to his Boy Scout days growing up.

“I was a Cub Scout when I was little and eventually got my Eagle Scout in high school, so service was always just on the forefront of everything I did when I was a kid,” Scheer said.

Scheer came to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as an undergrad looking for service opportunities to supplement his interest in a career in health care. He eventually landed on pursuing a career in nursing, attracted to the idea of being the person who can work closely with patients to understand their specific needs and concerns.

“They say nurses are the patient’s advocate,” Scheer said. “So much of nursing is thinking about and talking to your patient and seeing what you can do to personally help them feel better and get back to their normal lives.”

This attention to everyone’s specific needs has made volunteering for the Husker Pantry a great fit for Scheer, and it has broadened his understanding of different student experiences on campus.

“I’ve had a few different people tell me about their stories and why the pantry is a great resource for them,” he said. “A lot of the people who use the pantry also have dependents — it’s already hard being a student, but having dependents on top of that adds a whole other level.”

The Husker Pantry provides free food and personal items to NU students, increasing access to needed items and reducing stigmas around food insecurity. Pantry volunteers help to field incoming online orders, and collect and organize items to get orders ready for pickup.

Volunteering with the pantry is an easy way for students to give back on campus, Scheer said.

“It can be as little as two hours a week, so it’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door doing service on campus,” he said. “I’ve been able to help all kinds of students just like myself who have a variety of different needs.”