Bearcats Pantry assists students year-round
The remarkable growth of the University of Cincinnati’s Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center is the greatest testament to its ongoing place of priority among the university’s array of student resources.
“Since 2016, not only has the Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center been a reliable and accessible resource for our campus communities, but we’re also continuously challenged to evolve and expand to meet new needs,” said Joy Kostansek, an associate director within the Office of Student Affairs.
The Pantry’s rise has been rapid: Less than three years ago during the 2021-22 academic year, it provided 2,837 services to students. That number had more than tripled as of last year and is expected to take another leap during the new academic year. To further facilitate that growth, the UC community is asked to come together Friday, September 6 for National Food Bank Day, where dedicated support will help the Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center continue to stay a step ahead of the need.
To our donors, thank you for giving to students who may need the assistance and support of others. You have made such a meaningful impact on the UC community and I, along with many other Bearcats, are so grateful.
Victoria Mrofchak, Bus ’25
Evolving from its tiny initial space in French Hall West eight years ago to now include additional satellite locations around campus and a much wider range of services, the Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center provides complimentary, fresh, shelf-stable food; hygiene items; household goods; and professional clothing to students of all backgrounds with food and other insecurities. Other services include meal vouchers to campus dining halls, to-go bags located around campus, diapers and wipes for parenting students, social services enrollment, and fresh food from their garden and farmer’s market.
“Our satellite locations have allowed us to remove a critical barrier standing between students getting the resources they need,” Kostansek said. “Having access when and where they need it means one less thing to worry about.” Those satellite locations include within the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services and the College of Allied Health Sciences, with more on the way.
An ongoing impact
Photo/UC Alumni Association
While National Food Bank Day will be a point of emphasis, the Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center fulfills its mission largely through the year-round support of generous donors. Kostansek says that donors who make a recurring gift are making a big difference every day.
“We can rely on having this safety net of collective support that ensures shelves will be stocked each and every month, no matter what,” she says. And more important than the individual amounts given is the collective power of many Bearcats giving.
Nat Lambing, A&S ’12, CECH ’12, ’13, is one of the pantry’s recurring monthly donors. “My office started working with the pantry as a location for students to access to-go bags of food and hygiene products, as well as dining hall vouchers,” he said. “The number of students who would come in each week seeking assistance showed me that there are far more students than we are aware of who don’t have access to the basic security I took for granted. Setting up a recurring donation felt like the least I could do to help assure our students could have access to the essentials.”
Victoria Mrofchak, Bus ’25, is one of many students who has used the Bearcats Pantry & Resource Center. “The BCP and Resource Center has impacted my life by being a resource for supplies that I could not afford,” she said. “Despite working through college, my money went to tuition and off campus housing, but the BCP was there for me when I didn’t have any other options. To our donors, thank you for giving to students who may need the assistance and support of others. You have made such a meaningful impact on the UC community and I, along with many other Bearcats, are so grateful.”
To donate
Setting up a recurring gift is easy and ensures you make a continuous impact. A gift of $5 each month can provide a student with a meal each month of the year. When you set up a monthly donation, you join a team of UC champions who are committed to fighting food insecurity at UC.
Featured image at top of a student stocking the shelves at the Bearcats Pantry. Photo/UC Alumni Association.
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