As the season of gratitude and giving back approaches, Methodist University junior Lylianne Myrick is a reminder of how service can develop a person’s purpose. Myrick serves as MU’s Community Garden and Food Pantry Manager, and her work supports the University’s efforts against food insecurity by uplifting students, and cultivating a campus community built on compassion and giving back.
As the season of gratitude and giving back approaches, Methodist University junior Lylianne Myrick is a reminder of how service can develop a person’s purpose. Myrick serves as MU’s Community Garden and Food Pantry Manager, and her work supports the University’s efforts against food insecurity by uplifting students, and cultivating a campus community built on compassion and giving back.
Myrick admits the garden and pantry manager roles weren’t even on her radar when she began her MU journey. As an Environmental Health & Safety major, her focus was on technical coursework and workplace systems. It was through a campus job posting and the impact she witnessed once she stepped into that role that opened the door to a new career path she didn’t know she was meant for; one she chose simply because she “liked to garden.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am without the pantry,” she said. “It shaped who I want to be.”
Her turning point came during the 2024 North Carolina Collegiate Hunger Challenge, when she volunteered at Operation Inasmuch, a non-profit ministry in Fayetteville with a weekday breakfast program for individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Seeing how heavy hunger can be for people… that was the moment I realized the impact I could make,” she said.
That experience ultimately led her to switch majors. This semester marks her first as a Social Work major, a change she describes as “a breath of fresh air.”
Under her leadership, MU’s food pantry has grown from a lesser-known resource into a thriving support system particularly for commuter students and international students, whom she sees most often.
One of her biggest challenges has been destigmatizing asking for help.
“People sometimes think needing help is bad. Hunger is not something to be embarrassed about,” she said. “Everyone has needed help at some point. If we care for each other and give where we can, our community becomes stronger.”
Rev. Dr. Kelli Taylor, dean of Religious & Spiritual Life at MU, said Myrick has reshaped how students experience the pantry.
“Lyli is conscientious, compassionate, and incredibly creative,” Taylor said. “She has created a stigma-free environment. Students are greeted by another student who cares for them. She is approachable, engaged, and she brings joy into the work.”
Taylor also noted Myrick’s creativity in outreach, such as dressing as a pirate for National Scurvy Day to hand out oranges and teach students about its benefits to combat the disease.
“We don’t have out of date or dented items,” Taylor said. “We have just what you would buy in the store. She takes pride in providing quality items and rotating stock.”
Beyond food, the pantry offers toiletries, hygiene products, household items, and produce grown directly from the MU garden that Myrick also manages. Even now, as winter approaches, Myrick and fellow volunteers cultivate hardy greens, radishes, peppers, and cauliflower for students who seek those options.
“It’s a labor-intensive job,” she said, “but seeing students benefit from it makes every part of it worth it.”
Myrick credits MU’s community partnerships from Methodist churches to our regional Food Lion on Pamalee Drive and even to departments such as Occupational Therapy for helping with pantry donations. She recently built stronger connections with Second Harvest Food Bank and continues volunteering with Operation Inasmuch.
These relationships, she says, are shaping the social worker she hopes to become.
“I’ve learned how to advocate, communicate, and build community,” she said. “Those are the skills I’ll need long after I leave MU.”
Ruth Carr, director of Religious & Spiritual Life, said Myrick’s involvement reaches far beyond the pantry.
“She is sensible about what she wants and why,” Carr said. “She is connected across campus and brings those relationships back to support the pantry. She has created big shoes to fill.”
Taylor added that Myrick has helped secure the pantry’s place on campus.
“She built a foundation,” Taylor said. “The pantry is now a steady part of our community. It has a future because of her work.”
Even as a junior, Myrick is already looking back.
“I want to leave a blueprint for the next person,” she said. “This job has been such a big part of my life.”
Students, faculty, staff, and the community can support the MU food pantry by visiting the Lion’s Share food pantry for a list of needed items, or simply helping spread the word. Information is available on the Religious & Spiritual Life page and through the pantry’s Instagram page