Join us in Supporting Student Success
Last year our team learned that nearly half of our fellow PSU students reported experiencing some form of food insecurity in a given month, a rate almost twenty percent higher than the national average for four-year institutions. This statistic is even higher among historically marginalized students. Close to one in nine students reported an average of six days per month when they did not eat at all. At the same time, about a third of the world’s food supply is wasted each year.
The PSU Food Pantry fights against the waste of both food and human talent by providing free groceries to enrolled students. In this work, student staff, volunteers, and the professional staff who guide us are as attentive to the emotions surrounding food access as we are about stocking shelves full of eggs, milk, and fresh produce. We speak daily about trauma-informed care, power, equity, dignity, and agency in the decisions we make.
Through our partnership with the Oregon Food Bank, and several local businesses, we receive several thousand pounds of donated food each year, much of which would otherwise have been thrown away. Thanks to donors to our PSU Foundation Account, we are able to supplement these donations with the foods students need most. To help keep our shelves stocked, consider donating food or funds using the links below.
Donating physical, tangible product is rewarding. We love the sound of dropping cans into a donation bin too! People who would like to make small donations of food are welcome to drop by during our operating hours with labeled, non-expired, undamaged nonperishable foods.
Following the best practices of other food security efforts, we increasingly request that larger efforts prioritize funds over food donations. Our students most need fresh foods, and it has become increasingly complex and costly for us to sort, store, and distribute mixed nonperishable products. Processing large donations of canned goods can cost us more than purchasing that same food, while we are able to turn one donated dollar into several meals. Monetary donations are responsibly managed by the PSU Foundation.
The PSU Pantry would be delighted to help you help students by speaking at your event or providing literature and QR codes to collect donations. For more information, please contact pantry@pdx.edu.
