OSU Marion food pantry to combat food insecurity among students

MARION - Cans lined the walls of a tiny room that used to house vending machines, while two students placed boxes of pasta onto plastic shelves.

They were preparing for the opening of a food pantry at The Ohio State University at Marion on Wednesday. Most of its contents had come from donation drives last month. 

As items were cataloged, the goal was to help combat growing food insecurity on the college campus. A recent study —by the university and the OSU extension— found that 26.7 percent of students surveyed faced hunger or didn't have access to healthy foods. 

"As an incoming freshman you don't understand how expensive things can get," said Tiffany Rossetti, 18, who helped collect cans for the pantry.

Though jokes have been made about the starving college student surviving on pizza and Ramen Noodles, professors at Ohio State Marion say that is the reality for some of their students. 

They say people can't afford to buy groceries or simply don't have access to cheap fruits and vegetables, as the costs of tuition, books and housing add up. 

"It's not something that students are vocal about," said Kathleen Clemons, the coordinator of student life and diversity inclusion. "Through research we are becoming more aware. We are seeing the affects of this on campuses across the country."

Ohio State Marion steps up

Hoping to curb that problem, Ohio State Marion has joined a growing list of colleges that host food pantries. Relying on donations, the pantry houses canned vegetables, meats, boxes of pasta and other nonperishable goods. 

"The purpose is two fold. We want to make sure students have access to healthy foods and are getting the nutrients they need. But we also want to promote wellness in general," said Leslie Beary, manager of mental health and wellness services at the campus.

"(Student led pantries) are something that we have seen on other campuses as well," she added. 

Members of the Buckeye Food Alliance —a student led organization that helps combat hunger— opened OSU's first on-campus pantry in Columbus two years ago. Since then, students at regional campuses across the state have been looking at ways to replicate its success.

As the pantry in Marion saw its first visitors on Wednesday, it is the third to open on an Ohio State Campus. 

Beary said it is something she has been working on since Ohio State Marion became the fourth location for a free produce market in the county last year.

She says they distribute produce outside the Alber Student Center, where the pantry is located, twice a month and usually see a turnout of a hundred students. 

The pantry will tie into that concept as students and members of the community will be able to pick up goods on Monday and Thursdays. They will also be able to get free produce at the market. 

The pantry runs on donations from students and the general public. Beary said they have also partnered with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

University faculty and staff also raised around 200 items during a competition to see who could raise the most canned food. 

And some professors have incorporated the pantry into their lesson plans.

Senior lecturer Amy Tibbals said she is having students develop a crowd funding campaign in her business and professional writing class. She said all the proceeds will go towards fighting food insecurity on campus.

HKarim@nncogannett.com

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Want to help?

People interested in helping the Ohio State Marion food pantry should contact Leslie Beary at 740-725-6349 or beary.4@osu.edu.