The Center for Community Engagement is excited to announce the Bear Pantry is open for business! Established with the help of the Drew Lewis Foundation, the food pantry brings us one step closer to reducing food insecurity at Missouri State University. We also hope to educate our campus and community on the devastating effect hunger has on students.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner” (Wisconsin HOPE Lab). More students than you might imagine struggle with food insecurity, in fact, the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that 36% of college students are experiencing hunger. To bring this closer to home, according to Feeding America, “Nearly 47,000 people in Greene County (or 1 in 6) are food insecure.” Food insecurity is real and many Missouri State University students are struggling. The Bear Pantry is just one initiative hoping to serve these students well.
So how can students access this service? Confidentially. Privacy is a major concern of students and the Bear Pantry respects that. Students can utilize the pantry twice each month between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, through several avenues. Students can simply come into the Center for Community Engagement in the Plaster Student Union behind Starbucks and ask about the pantry or make a private appointment through the Bear Pantry website. If made ahead of time, students can enter their appointment through a discrete entrance directly into the pantry. All students need for their first appointment is their BearPass ID. For following appointments, students should also bring the client card received at their first visit. Our hope is to make this as discrete and simple as possible.
If you would like to donate food, please leave your non-perishables at one of our drop-off locations around campus. Drop-off locations include the Center for Community Engagement, Strong 251, Temple 142, University 115, and the Foster Recreation Center. You will find a tub to place your donation and a list of most needed items at each of these locations.
Please reach out to the Center for Community Engagement with any questions you may have either at 417-836-5774 or cce@missouristate.edu.
If you have any further questions or are interested in partnering with the Bear Pantry, please contact the Center for Community Engagement.
cce@missouristate.edu | @MoStateCCE | 417-836-5774