Rogers State University has a long history of edifying the minds and imagination of its students.
But just as important as feeding the soul is feeding the body.
Unbeknownst to many, Rogers State University assists students in this regard through an on-campus food bank for students facing temporary or regular food insecurity.
RSU’s food bank, called the Community Cupboard, is located on the second floor of the Stratton Taylor Library and offers a variety of snacks and light meals for students struggling with financial or other hurdles which might prevent them from eating regularly.
Food bank supervisor and Library Director Kaitlin Crotty said the Community Cupboard came about after a similar food bank was established for residential students. The resource is free and available to anyone with a valid student ID or members of RSU faculty or staff.
“People have their notions about ‘food banks’ or ‘food pantries,’ which is why I rebranded ours as a ‘Community Cupboard,’” Crotty said. “The reality is that everyone needs help at some point, so if someone, a commuter for example, gets to campus, they were in a hurry and didn’t have time for breakfast or a class gets cancelled, they can stop by and get a packet of oatmeal or a package of peanut butter crackers for now or later. Maybe someone need something to get them through to their next payday, maybe they need that last ingredient – like a bag of rice or packet of noodles or pasta sauce – for something they’re making, or maybe this is an issue they deal with regularly. We’re here to help all of them.”
As residential students have a meal plan and a food pantry exclusively for them, the Community Cupboard primarily serves commuter students, although “no students in need are refused,” according to Crotty.
Started in 2012 by Director of Residential Life Kyla Short, the residential food pantry is in the UVB Clubhouse on the Claremore campus. The partnership with Eastern Oklahoma Foodbank started in February 2020. This food pantry is stocked 365 days a year by Residential Life staff to ensure students aren’t without food options.
Although set up primarily for students living on campus, the residential food pantry is available to all who need its services.
A satellite “food pantry” was later added in the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center, but was moved to the library at Crotty’s request, where those benefiting from it could also take advantage of an on-site microwave oven and refrigerator.
Further, RSU has partnered with Panera Bread to make a variety of Panera items available at the Cupboard every Wednesday for RSU students, accessible to students on a first-come, first-serve basis until the end of the day Friday. The Khan Ohana Foundation offers a program for students to receive fresh food deliveries once a month on campus.
“We also have a Care Cabinet, which has a variety of personal hygiene, laundry detergent and other non-food essentials for students who need them,” Crotty said. “Everything is free, we just ask that when someone removes something to write it down on the on-site log so we can keep track of our inventory.”
Although operating under the direction of the Foodbank of Eastern Oklahoma, most of the items available at the Community Cupboard and Community Cabinet are provided through donations.
“We hugely appreciate donations. They make all the difference,” Crotty said.
Donation items needed include non-perishable food items, such as Ramen noodles (in cups), peanut butter, canned soup, canned fruit, canned beans, pasta, bagged rice, and cooking essentials.
“And something people don’t often think to donate, but which are much needed are paper bowls, plastic utensils, and can openers. It’s easy for people to forget about the can openers. Canned food won’t help anyone if they can’t get into it,” Crotty said. “Donations are always needed. That’s a need that never goes away, so as much as we want people to be aware of the Community Cupboard, we also hope people that can donate, will donate to help their fellow students.”
RSU’s Community Cupboard is open during regular library hours. As the UVB Clubhouse is accessible to those with a student ID, the student food pantry in Residential Life is open 24 hours.
For more information, visit https://libguides.rsu.edu/students/cupboard.