UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As they work toward graduation, college students have many things on their plates to worry about: exams, internships, raising tuition costs, student loans and more. Figuring out where their next meal may come from shouldn’t be one of them.
Nearly 30% of college students at four-year institutions, such as Penn State, were affected by food insecurity, according to a 2021 Hope Center survey.
“As a college student myself, I know firsthand that there are many worries or challenges facing students. Food insecurity should not be one of them,” said Madison Abelson, a fourth-year Penn State student. Abelson is completing an internship with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Penn State, a membership-based organization that provides educational, social and travel experiences for community members aged 50 and better.
Last month, she was part of a team of OLLI at Penn State volunteers and staff that dropped off four large carloads of donated food and household supplies to the Lion’s Pantry.
The Lion’s Pantry was established in 2014 as the official campus food pantry committed to helping Penn State students who are experiencing food insecurity. In 2021, the pantry served just over 34,000 pounds of food and household supplies to more than 2,000 visitors.
The donations were collected during an OLLI at Penn State food drive from members around the region — including a large donation made by residents and staff at Juniper Village at Brookline, who joined OLLI at Penn State in this initiative.
Their efforts will have a big impact, said Lion’s Pantry President Nick DiPierro.
“The donations made by OLLI will be vital in keeping our supply of goods to clients steady. Over the past couple of semesters post-COVID, we have been experiencing steady demand increases. It is becoming even more important to have a solid stream of goods coming into the pantry in the form of donations as well as from our reliable suppliers,” DiPierro said. “The generosity of OLLI will be put to immediate use the next couple of weeks' worth of open hours at our main facility as well as our numerous cub pantry locations across campus.”
Efforts like the food drive are just one way OLLI at Penn State members learn, explore and connect through educational experiences, travel, social and volunteer opportunities. Crystal Alexander-Freyvogel, volunteer for OLLI at Penn State and Penn State alumna, said helping to stock the Lion’s Pantry was a way to give back to the next generation of Penn Staters.
“Just to give back to the students who are struggling and just trying to get through is very important,” Alexander-Freyvogel said.
The efforts were driven by OLLI at Penn State’s volunteer committee. Sandy Lopez, who serves as committee chair, works to recruit volunteers and give back to the local community.
“It was a very important project, because we want to do things to benefit the Penn State community and the community around us,” Lopez said.
OLLI at Penn State is a service of Penn State Outreach.