USAO offers a food pantry for students to help combat food insecurity on campus. The food pantry is in Lawson Clubhouse, directly across from The Daily Grind. It is open seven days a week and available to all students. Each student is allotted up to 25 pounds of food per week.
The food pantry hours are as follows:
Monday: 3 PM to 10 PM
Tuesday: 9 AM to 12 PM; 6 PM to 10 PM
Wednesday: 3 PM to 10 PM
Thursday: 10 AM to 12 PM; 6 PM to 7 PM
Friday: 6 AM to 9 AM; 2 PM to 10 PM
Saturday: 1 PM to 5 PM
Sunday: 1 PM to 5 PM
Along with providing food to students, the food pantry happily accepts donations of unopened, unexpired food, as well as other essential items.
“Sometimes we get toiletries, things like that,” said Janet Ogungbuyi, one of the food pantry’s student volunteers. They accept donations of toilet paper, hygiene products, and paper or plastic grocery sacks.
Donations come from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, as well as directly from students and staff on campus, local businesses, and alumni. The Salvation Army is also noted for its big donations during the holidays.
The food pantry was established in the spring trimester of 2015 after a survey among students and faculty found that 86.4% of participants agreed that the campus needed it. In 2021, USAO partnered with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, which helped to increase the usage and reach of the food pantry.
Nicole McMonagle has been supervising the food pantry since its conception in 2015, and she highlights the importance of this resource for the students on campus.
“Access to a food pantry is crucial for supporting students’ overall well-being, academic performance, and mental health, helping to alleviate food insecurity, and allowing them to focus on their studies rather than on where their next meal will come from.” McMonagle said.
If you want to donate to the food pantry, bring your items to them during their open hours and they will take your donation.
Hatch Layman is a third-year psychology major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
