The OU Food Pantry is holding a benefit at Volare tonight from 4 to 9 p.m. to help raise money for the program, following a fundraising event at IHOP Wednesday night.
The pantry celebrated its two year anniversary March 26, and Matt Marks, the food pantry’s graduate director, said the the growth of the pantry has been incredible to see. Marks helped to launch the food pantry alongside SGA allies and OU Housing and Food.
“We’re trying new things with the benefit nights,” Marks said, “to get a little bit of fundraising and get the word out about the pantry.”
The growth of the pantry has been impressive in terms of numbers, Marks said.
In Spring 2017, the pantry’s initial semester, 116 people used the pantry. The following spring, that number ballooned to 707 customers, and this year, the pantry has already helped 594 students and staff at OU who are facing food insecurity.
Marks said he is especially proud of the pantry’s growth in terms of securing partnerships in the area, including its continued partnership with the regional food bank as well as new sponsorships from Embassy Suites and Best Western Plus in Norman.
Getting the word out so the pantry can help the most people is one of the goals the pantry continues to grow towards as it expands, Marks said.
“There’s a lot of people on our campus, and I’ve told this to a lot of people recently, they don’t know we exist,” Marks said. “We think we’re doing a really good job on social media and we’re really pushing this out, but everyone’s kind of in their own bubble, in their own world.”
The support from not just the OU campus, but the Norman and Oklahoma City communities as well, has been the one of the most encouraging parts of the pantry’s Growth, Marks said.
“It has been a really amazing process to see how this pantry has grown and how the whole community – OU and Norman – wants to be a part a part of this, wants to make a difference, wants to help their peers who are facing hunger and food insecurity,” Marks said. “I want to make sure every single person on this campus is taken care of.”
