About Us

Our Background

In the spring of 2014, two Penn State students realized that for some of their fellow students, exams and grades might not be the only concern. Jake Ruddy and Alex Mendoca, along with support from the College of Agricultural Sciences; the Sustainability Institute; Housing, Food Service and Residence Life; the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program; Project Cahir; the State College Food Bank; and various student organizations, worked to open The Lion’s Pantry’s doors in November 2014.

A clear need for a student food pantry was expressed through stories from community members, conversations among similar organizations at large universities, and nation-wide statistics that show that hunger is a growing concern for college-aged adults.

My hope is the Pantry will allow students to focus on their education, not where their next meal will come from.

Jake Ruddy

Co-Founder, The Lion's Pantry

If Penn State speaks, people will listen – and our work is not finished until we are, all, food secure.

Emily Griffin

2022-2023 President, The Lion's Pantry

In addition to the tangible work we do serving students, we also seek to develop long-term solutions that eradicate student hunger (In a perfect world, The Lion’s Pantry would not need to exist).