Community Engagement Blog

How we do community engagement at Missouri State

Home » Community Engagement

Athletics Makes an Impact for Bear Pantry Community

by

On October 3rd, student athletes scored a big win in a meaningful way.

Families, fans, and students gathered on Missouri State’s turf to cheer on four athletic home events including swimming & diving, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and men’s soccer. At the same time, Beth Perine and the acrobatics & tumbling team welcomed donations for the Bear Pantry.

“I wanted to help expand awareness of the Bear Pantry and how it helps the students, faculty, and staff.” Beth Perine, former softball coach and current athlete academic advisor, notes. She also wanted to provide her student-athletes with an opportunity to make an impact in the community.

A collaborative effort, athletic teams and the athletic department shared the message on social media to market the drive.

900+ shelf-stable items were donated to the Bear Pantry.

When Sydney Wilson, the Director of Student-Athlete Development, heard about the event, she jumped at the opportunity to get the Bears Leadership Institute, an athletic leadership development program, involved as well.

The following Monday during their regular meeting times, 17 student-athletes and facilitators filled the Pantry with laughter and hard work to process the donations from the drive. “We have strong athletes. We hauled everything over to the [Bear Pantry] and put people to work…getting athletes involved and giving back,” said Sydney.

Bears Leadership athletes pose with food

“The Bears Leadership event helped our Bear Pantry team a lot following such a big donation drive. It’s a process to haul, sort, inventory, and stock the shelves with so many items. We appreciated their help,” said Natalie Barbieri, Graduate Assistant for the Bear Pantry.

“We have strong athletes. We hauled everything over to the Bear Pantry and put people to work…Getting athletes involved and giving back”

“My favorite part of the event was taking inventory… it was awesome to see the pantry go from just a few items on the shelves to being fully stocked. It was super fun to work with my teammates and the athletic leadership team to refill the pantry,” Evie Kolb, a junior on the swimming & diving team.

Looking back at the event, Beth loved seeing the interaction between the student athletes and the people donating. People were grateful for the opportunity to donate, and the student-athletes expressed gratitude for their donations in return.

People were grateful for the opportunity to donate, and the student-athletes expressed gratitude for their donations in return.

Some people came up to Beth and mentioned how they remember their college years and being hungry sometimes. “There was a lot of ramen going on”, they said. They were happy to help diminish that experience for students.

Highlights

  • Beth Perine hosted a food drive for the Bear Pantry during several home athletic events on October 3rd.
  • Over 900 items were donated to the Bear Pantry.
  • Following the food drive, athletes and faculty from the Bears Leadership Institute processed and stocked donated items in the Bear Pantry.

Support the Bears at MSU’s upcoming sports events!

Visit the Bear Pantry!

Delta Dental Donation Supports Health and Wellness at the Bear Pantry

by

The Bear Pantry at Missouri State University is expanding its impact, thanks to a generous in-kind donation from Delta Dental to the MSU Foundation. This thoughtful contribution of oral hygiene products—including dental floss, toothpaste, and toothbrushes—will be distributed through the Bear Pantry to support the health and wellness of our campus community.

CCE Student Specialist, McKennzee Newton, displays donated products.

Access to oral care products is a key component of overall wellness but is often overlooked in conversations about basic needs. By providing these essential hygiene items, Delta Dental is helping the Bear Pantry further its mission of reducing barriers and supporting student success.

“We’re grateful for Delta Dental’s commitment to supporting holistic student wellness,” said Alex Johnson, Director of the Center for Community Engagement. “This donation helps us serve our community more fully and ensures that Bear Pantry guests have access to both nutritious food and critical personal care items.”

The Bear Pantry serves all members of the Missouri State University community, including students, faculty, and staff. Together, with the support of partners like Delta Dental and the MSU Foundation, the Bear Pantry is advancing its mission to meet basic needs and build a stronger, healthier campus community.

For more information on how to donate or get involved with the Bear Pantry, visit https://www.missouristate.edu/CCE/bear-pantry.htm.

 

Sustainability Efforts at Bear Pantry

by

Happy April, Bears!

April 22nd is Earth Day, a day recognized for environmental protection efforts, so it is only appropriate to discuss sustainability efforts employed at the Bear Pantry!

Bear Pantry’s Sustainability Practices

  • Reusable Bags
    • Instead of having single use, plastic bags available for Bear Pantry members to use after shopping, we encourage everyone to bring a reusable bag. New members receive an MSU maroon reusable bag upon completion of the membership form!
    • Reusable bag tips:
      • Always keep one with you. Accessibility will encourage use. Whether in your car or folded up in your backpack, having a reusable bag with you is a great practice.
      • Find a heavy-duty brand you like. Durability of bags is important! If the bags are durable, you are more likely to use them. Some stores only provide shoppers with reuseable bags at checkout. Other stores offer a discount for bringing in reusable bags instead of using their single-use bags. A one-time purchase of a reusable bag can save money in the long run!
      • Keep them clean! When handling food products, it is necessary to ensure the bags are clean. For cloth bags, a quick run through the washing maching is enough. For sturdy plastic, a wet paper towel or disinfectant wipe might be all you need.
      • Educate others! Further sustainability efforts by encouraging friends and family to adopt this habit. You could even give them a reusable bag or two.
  • Supporting Local Farms (Community Supported Agriculture)
    • Campus Garden and Amanda Belle’s Farm are both community partners with the Bear Pantry. By supporting local farms through distribution of their product, we are ensuring that we foster community connections and provide students with fresh, seasonal produce.
    • Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) is where community members pay weekly, monthly, or seasonally for a “share” within a farming operation. This gives farmers the capital to pay for supplies and grow crops, giving the consumer fresh, seasonal, and local produce throughout the growing season.
  • Composting Waste
    • What is composting? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), composting is “the managed, aerobic (oxygen-required) biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms.” Food scraps and yard waste are excellent compost materials. Compost can be added to soil to increase nutrient composition and overall soil health. More information about composting here. At the Bear Pantry, any fresh food products that we recive that are not appropriate for distribution (fruits and vegetables that are decomposing, bread that is moldy, etc.) are composted via a designated compost site.
  • Recycling
    • What is recycling? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.” More information about recycling here. Yard waste, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, tin, and so forth, can all by recycled. Here at the Bear Pantry, we focus on recycling cardboard (since most of our food products come packaged in cardboard boxes) after each delivery.
  • Nutrition Education and Recipes
    • What does nutrition education and recipes have to do with sustainability efforts? A lot! If members are not able to use the food they receive from the pantry, then that is contributing to food waste (which is not sustainable, especially if this food is going into the landfill and not the compost bin). Utilizing resources (such as Nutrition Corner) provided by the Bear Pantry can help decrease food waste. Nutrition Corner focuses on providing members with easy access to recipes tailored to foods provided in the pantry. There are also nutrition education handouts on how to make canned and packaged foods more healthful through adding sources of protein, decreasing sodium intake, and so forth. These recipes are created by MSU nutrition and dietetics students, studying to be Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
    • Link to Nutrition Corner

 

Don’t forget to follow us on socials!

Instagram: @mostatebearpantry & @mostatecce

Like us on Facebook: Bear Pantry

YouTube: @mostatebearpantry

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bearpantrymostate

 

Give Pulse Provides Students with Service Opportunities

by

The beginning of the semester is a wonderful time to start looking for and signing up for volunteer opportunities! Whether you are looking for service hours for a club, scholarship, or just for fun, Give Pulse is a great place to start.  

Many organizations in the Springfield community use Give Pulse to post their service opportunities. After you sign up on Give Pulse, you can enter your location to see what events are near you. This can be very helpful if you are hoping to stay near campus! Before selecting a date and time, you can read about the organization and what tasks you may be doing. In addition, with each event, you will see how many slots the organization is trying to fill. Lastly, if you have questions prior to the service opportunity, you can contact the person who created the event.  

To sign up and see service opportunities on Give Pulse, click here!  

Service opportunities on Give Pulse.

 

Spotlight – FSL Supports the Bear Pantry

by

Right before Thanksgiving Break, FSL officially set a new record for our largest donation yet at 2,084 pounds! Many of the donated items were canned goods, along with other non-perishable foods like pasta, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, and more. This is a great example of what it looks like to be a Citizen Bear!

All of the items in the Bear Pantry are supplied through donations. Big or small, each donation matters! Thank you to FSL and to all of the Bear Pantry’s donors for supporting student success. We are so thankful for each of you!