Campus Life

Student-run Lion's Pantry provides resources to students in need

Hidden Gems at Penn State: Student food pantry has several pick-up locations on the University Park campus and in downtown State College

Julia Loftus, a sophomore at Penn State, donates her time by helping to sort through food and stock shelves at The Lion’s Pantry. The Lion's Pantry welcomes donations of nonperishable foods, financial gifts, and time from volunteers throughout the Penn State community. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Lion’s Pantry has helped provide sustenance to students in need for more than five years. This academic year, the Lion’s Pantry — located behind the Park Avenue intramural fields — is now offering even more food pick-up options, including an online order form and pop-up pantries across campus. 

With the start of a busy fall semester, any student with a valid Penn State ID can use this resource to pick up a range of free nutritious food items, toiletries and more — everything from granola bars to pasta sauce to shampoo — no questions asked.

The Lion’s Pantry was created by students for students to help address the issue of food insecurity at Penn State's University Park campus. The pantry's mission aims to help students focus on their education, not where their next meal will come from. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

Tiana Williams, pantry director, said that having a student-led resource like this at Penn State is so important because food insecurity is invisible — and it’s also on the rise across the nation. Today, there are more than 700 college food pantries registered in the United States helping those who skip or stretch meals, don't have adequate access to nutritious food, or are uncertain about where their next meal will come from.

Many of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses also have food pantries to assist students dealing with food insecurity, including Abington, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, DuBois, Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto and Penn College.

“With many of our current members entering their junior and senior years, we’re also looking for new students to get involved by joining the Lion’s Pantry Club to help with volunteer days, awareness events and more,” said Sayre Bradley, president of Lion’s Pantry.

There are a variety of ways to use the pantry:

For more information about the Lion’s Pantry, including how to donate, volunteer or join the club, visit thelionspantry.psu.edu.

The Lion's Pantry is located on the University Park campus on the Campus Shuttle route, behind the Park Avenue intramural fields near the Lion Surplus store.  Credit: Pat Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

 

Last Updated June 2, 2021