Happy Fall Bears!

We are officially in the swing of the semester (7 weeks in—can you believe it?). Hope everyone has had a great start to the fall semester and are excited for the coming weeks.

We’ve been busy here in the Bear Pantry and have so many updates!

Exciting Updates

Due to increased popularity and listening to student feedback, we are beginning to stock more grab-and-go snack foods. Additionally, we are trialing an additional restock day of pantry staples!

Bear Pantry “pop-ups” are in the works as well! Right now, we have established the Bear Cub Pantry located in the Bear Claw in Meyer Library. Stop by there if you need a quick study snack!

Important Dates

• Fall Break (October 10th and 11th): Bear Pantry closed for the long weekend.
• Homecoming (October 13th-19th): Yay Homecoming! Be sure to check out the homecoming activities and get involved! Bear Pantry is participating in the Donation Drive (see below).
• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Tabling (October 17th): We had a great turnout for our first two MU Extension SNAP tabling events. If you haven’t been able to make it, check out additional information provided below.

Homecoming Donation Drive

There are many traditions related to Homecoming, but the Donation Drive is my favorite! This year’s donation drive will benefit both the Center for Community Engagement (Bear Pantry) and Multicultural Resource Center (MSU’s Transition Closet). 

For the Bear Pantry, this is a canned food drive, and the weight of canned goods donated will correspond to the number of points received.  

Specific guidelines for acceptable donation items can be found within the Student Engagement Homecoming 2024 document.  

Items needed:  

• Canned pasta sauce 
• Canned soups 
• Canned vegetables 
• Canned beans 
• Canned fruit
• Canned tuna 
• Canned chicken 
• And any other foods in a can!

 The drive starts on Monday, October 14th at 1pm and ends Friday, October 18th at 2pm. Donations are accepted from 1pm-2pm each day! We are eagerly anticipating this event! 

MU Extension X Bear Pantry

We have an exciting partnership with MU Extension to bring SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and resources to our students. Each month, we will have a Nutrition Program Associate from MU Extension tabling to provide resources to students regarding SNAP benefits (including application assistance)! Join us monthly to learn more about this helpful program! 

Event details: Thursday, October 17th from 10AM-12PM in the Bear Pantry 

Volunteer Events

We have experienced successful volunteer events over the last few weeks and are looking for more ways to get students involved! This month, you can get involved by volunteering in the following events:  

• Mondays: delivery and pickup days from Ozarks Food Harvest (OFH)  
  • 8:30-10:30am for delivery days  
  • 11am-1pm for pick-up days (time subject to change due to pick-up time availability)
• Tuesday: hydroponics harvesting (dates TBD) 
  • 8-9am 
• 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month: campus-wide donation bin collection  
  • 12-1pm 

Be sure to check our GivePulse for new events and sign up for volunteering. Details are provided for each volunteer event on the website. Link to GivePulse: https://www.givepulse.com/group/119561-Bear-Pantry 

Dietetic Interns

Did you know that Bear Pantry hosts MSU Dietetic Interns? Last month, we had Natalie Clayton and Chloe Terry come on their MSU week-long rotation. They created recipes and provided samples for members utilizing foods available in the pantry.  

Nutrition Corner

As a Nutrition and Dietetics student, nutrition is my passion! Nutrition Corner is our new digital platform for all things recipes, nutrition education information, how-to’s with products in the pantry, and everything in between! These recipes are tailored to ingredients that can be found in the pantry. Follow the link in our LinkTree to find the Nutrition Corner album. 

Always exciting here at the Bear Pantry! Come stop by and say hi! Do not forget to follow us on social media! 

• Instagram: @mostatebearpantry & @mostatecce 
• TikTok: @bearpantry 
• Like us on Facebook: Bear Pantry  
• YouTube: @mostatebearpantry  
• LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bearpantrymsu