OU Food Pantry addresses food insecurity challenges for entire campus community

By ANASTACIA TAYLOR

The Golden Grizzlies Food Pantry, located in room 49G of the Oakland Center on Oakland University’s campus serves everyone in the community who faces food insecurities.

The pantry is the result of a joint research project by Rae Johnson, CAS ‘18, lecturer and coordinator of field education for the social work program at OU and Maria Beam, Ph.D., SEHS ’19, the idea that Oakland University students were struggling with food insecurity wasn’t widely understood.

OU students Rae Johnson, CAS ’18, and Maria Beam, Ph.D., SEHS ’19, created the pantry. During Johnson’s last semester of her undergraduate degree, she approached Beam because she wanted to work with Beam for her graduate internship. Together they worked on a research project investigating the idea that college food insecurity was misunderstood.

“Opening a pantry to provide free food and resources to the campus community would help combat the issue,” said Johnson.

Johnson said she is “so proud of the current staff and all of their hard work and efforts to continue the pantry’s legacy.”

She said that Isabella Levitt, who has been the pantry manager since 2022, as well as manager of the Grizz Garment clothing service, “has been a tremendous asset to the pantry, securing a refrigerator, funding, and staff, as well as being a campus and community leader.”

Food pantry fast facts

Providing resources with dignity

The Golden Grizzlies Food Pantry provides FREE resources for OU students, staff, faculty, alumni and parents.

Everyone who comes to the pantry remains anonymous. If the client wants more privacy, the staff will be understanding and leave the pantry. Items are checked out with a form, and by being weighed (for inventory purposes).

Challenges
The pantry mostly relies on donations from the community. Since it opened in 2018, people like OU Professor Emeritus, George Gamboa and his wife, Teresa, an OU retiree have been major contributors to the pantry shelves.

Pantry donations are accepted in person, during regular pantry hours, as well as in bins around campus.

Opportunities

Volunteers are always needed at the pantry. Whether you need community service hours for an organization, the Honors College, or you want to serve your community, the pantry will help you with those hours.

Volunteer tasks include stocking shelves, helping with donations, updating spreadsheets, organizing clothes and food, and working on the exterior displays.

Summer Semester 2024 Hours

Tuesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m and Friday: Noon to 5 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. You can enter through the Office for Student Involvement (Room 49) for assistance.