Event, Lion's Pantry News
Explore the intersection of student food security and art at The Lion’s Pantry’s upcoming Canstruction® event! The exhibit will feature student-made structures built entirely from packaged food, which will then be donated to The Lion’s Pantry to help stock the shelves of the student food pantry. This year’s theme is Children’s Story Books.
The program will highlight the impact of The Lion’s Pantry at the University Park campus, while bringing important awareness to the topic of food insecurity and how the Penn State community can join together to support the critical efforts to eradicate hunger.
Structures created by students in the following organizations will be on display between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12 in 131 HUB:
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Schreyer Student Council
- The Lion’s Pantry
A special Canstruction® program featuring a reception with free food and door prizes including gift cards to local restaurants, Penn State gear, and more will be held on Monday, April 11 at 6 p.m. in the Flex Theater in the HUB.
Students, staff, and community members are encouraged to visit the event and vote for their favorite structure. The most popular structure will win this year’s People’s Choice Award!
The Lion’s Pantry looks forward to sharing this event with the Penn State community. Taylor Dorsett, incoming Lion’s Pantry president, said “I’m looking forward to emphasizing the necessity of collaboration during my presidency. It’s crucial that we as a university come together to better serve our students. In doing this, we shed light on a very prevalent issue of food insecurity at Penn State, and work towards reducing stigma simultaneously.”
Since 2014, The Lion’s Pantry has met a critical need amongst Penn State students, while bringing awareness to the topic of student hunger. Co-founder Jake Ruddy explained, “My hope is that the Pantry will allow students to focus on their education, not where their next meal will come from.”
The Lion’s Pantry will also be accepting non-perishable food items during the reception and open event hours in 131 HUB. A list of the most needed items and more information about the Pantry can be found here, and supporters from afar can visit The Lion’s Pantry’s Amazon Wish List.
Please come visit this creative collaboration and engage in addressing and mitigating student food insecurity at The Lion’s Pantry’s 2022 Canstruction® event!
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The Lion’s Pantry is seeking a Communications Intern beginning in late spring 2022 and continuing throughout the duration of the 2022-23 school year, to support the communications, marketing, and outreach goals of the program. This paid position will work closely with the student leaders of The Lion’s Pantry to initiate, coordinate and manage digital, print and creative media for the program. Hours are approximately 5-10 hours per week, with some fluctuation based on project load throughout the year and typically fewer hours in the summer term. Work will be done primarily remotely, especially during the summer term, with some in-person meetings and related work resuming during the 2022-23 academic year. The position has a strong possibility of continuation for multiple years. Pay is $11.00/hour.
Responsibilities
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Regularly update and edit the Lion’s Pantry website
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Create and post social media content for Lion’s Pantry accounts across multiple platforms
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Write news stories for the program’s website and e-newsletter, and for local news outlets
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Serve as the primary media contact for the Lion’s Pantry and communicate with local media to promote events and other opportunities
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Assist with creative marketing campaigns
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Maintain good communications between partners including Student Affairs, the Office of Strategic Communications, the Sustainability Institute, Housing and Food Services, key colleges and other student clubs
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Design and conduct outreach to diverse audiences across Penn State to promote opportunities and events for the Lion’s Pantry
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Track data relevant to program objectives, and perform recordkeeping duties
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Attend weekly Lion’s Pantry Executive Team meetings
Qualifications
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Current Penn State student with at least a 3.0 GPA
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Superb written, interpersonal and oral communication skills
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Ability to learn quickly, prioritize multiple projects, meet deadlines and enjoy a fast-paced work environment
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Ability to work with diverse groups or individuals
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Ability to work with minimal supervision and manage schedule independently
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Own computer and internet access
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An interest in and knowledge about food systems issues and concepts is strongly preferred
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Graphic design experience or skill set preferred
To apply, please upload cover letter, resume, and contact information for two references through Workday. Please email thelionspantry@psu.edu with any questions.
Blog, Event, Lion's Pantry News
Our event will highlight the creative structures of Penn State Global Brigades, The Lion’s Pantry Club, The Student Farm Club, and Project Cahir. The structures will be judged by Penn State faculty and administration and the best structure will win a prize! Students, staff, and community members can participate in the People’s Choice portion of judging by bringing a canned item and placing it in a box in front of their favorite structure.
We invite the media to join us on March 27th from 4-6:30pm and we will be sharing information on other special event hours soon! The event will also provide information about each of the clubs involved as well as information on food insecurity and ways to get involved with this important discussion. Check out https://www.canstruction.org/ for a taste of what is coming to our campus!
We Are…Grateful for the opportunity to bring an exciting Canstruction® event to our campus and can’t wait to see you there!
Blog, Lion's Pantry News
Post Written By: Ann White
Consider the following scenario. You’re sitting in a lecture hall full of fellow college students eagerly waiting for class to begin. Just as the professor begins to teach, your stomach loudly growls. Many would suggest a simple solution of a quick snack to silence it. However, because you are a food insecure college student, that is a luxury you can’t afford. In fact, you are now stuck figuring out where your next meal will come from. You have to worry about sending in the rent check and electricity bill for the month, on top of paying tuition for the semester. Additionally, you have to work after this class to cover these financial obligations, so there’s no time to eat anyways. You contemplate the possibility that today might be a one-meal day. All of a sudden, the class starts to rise and pack their belongings as you’re snapped back to reality and notice that class has finished. Clearly unable to focus for another class period, you now have to plan to teach yourself the material in your limited free time.
The above situation is a day-to-day struggle for many college students who experience food insecurity, including those at Penn State. One day I had the opportunity to speak with a gracious Pantry client. She shared, “I just heard about The Lion’s Pantry thirty minutes ago and made the trek up here because I needed food for this week.” I replied saying that I was grateful that she discovered our services, but wish she could have known sooner. She responded stating, “I think I would have been more aware of them if there was less of a stigma around food insecurity.” I agreed and then asked her to elaborate on that statement. She hesitantly and emotionally continued, “I work, take many classes, and am in clubs, but people think that I am just being lazy when I can’t afford food when in fact I am trying my hardest.”
Through several other conversations I found that this client is far from the only student experiencing this stigma. I wanted to address the stigma about being food insecure by providing outsiders and myself with opportunities to gain greater perspectives on the significance of food insecurity during college. It is essential that individuals understand the magnitude of the issue of food insecurity and its further influence on other aspects of student’s lives. From my conversations, many students feel stigma because there are many individuals who are not aware that their fellow students can’t afford food. This indicates to me a need for educational initiatives that help others understand food insecurity and its implications. It needs to be not only the mission of The Lion’s Pantry, but also the responsibility of the Penn State community to address food insecurity and the associated stigma as a student issue. If food insecurity is a student issue, it is Penn State University’s issue.
Blog
Post Written By: Ann White
Before my first time venturing to The Lion
’s Pantry, I was not familiar with what lay in the land beyond East Halls. I was aware of the location of the Arboretum, but had assumed by appearance that anything further qualified as insignificant to a Penn State student. After passing the Katz Law building which has a side built entirely of crystal clear windows that seemingly never end, most of the buildings in the following area have a semblance to structures that one would find in an industrial park. The Lion’s Pantry is not immune to this architecture as its four dark gray metal walls and white metal roof join together to create what looks like a small-scale warehouse. As I slowly scanned the exterior, I distinctly noticed that the pantry had quite a few windows, but they appeared opaquely white – similar to spray on snow – prompting an onlooker to ponder what may be inside. Most notably at the main entrance was a large blue sign which adorned The Lion’s Pantry’s logo and the welcoming message of “operated by Penn State students for Penn State students” advocating that whoever enters will be supported and helped by their fellow students.
Upon entering the pantry, a large wooden counter with pamphlets and cards marked with The Lion’s Pantry logo immediately came into my view. I moved forward into the pantry to be then surrounded by off-white metal shelves on which the pantry items resided. They were labeled with homemade tags that organized the food according to categories. The shelves significantly supported the grocery store feeling that the pantry attempts to obtain for its users in order to promote the ideology that visiting the pantry is just like grocery shopping, except that it’s free. The goal is to feel familiar and realistic to students so that they are comfortable. Although cold to the touch, the shelves welcomed individuals as they housed the food that many could not afford themselves.
I started to walk toward the many food items beginning with canned vegetables, fruits, and meats. Reflecting on the organization of the pantry, I realized that the shelves and layout of their foods created an intricate maze that clients work through to locate what they need. Within the shelves there were plastic dividers that ensure certain foods stay in their rightful spots and don’t cross over to where they don’t belong. Although there was a classification system among the foods, I found more than a few items hiding in unexpected places. A dark green can of peas peaked out behind some canned peaches while some Aunt Jemima pancake mix had made the journey to join the elbow macaroni boxes. Additionally, some shelves held were pre-made goodie gift bags notes of encouragement from generous donors. The bags brightened up the pantry as they represented external love and solace from individuals who supported not only the efforts of The Lion’s Pantry, but also the students who utilize its resources.
A typical trip to the pantry includes students entering with stretched out arms to show us their IDs. We usually give a spiel to first time users letting them know that they can take a reusable bag and gather as much food as they need. We value anonymity and privacy, thus no questions are asked about personal information or socioeconomic status. Our primary mission is to provide a welcoming space that involves a simplistic process for the pantry clients. By achieving this, we hope that students will be encouraged to use The Lion’s Pantry as we address food insecurity one visit at a time.
