OHIO Giving Day

Your contribution to the Food Pantry Support Fund will continue to build the Bobcats Helping Bobcats program, a basic needs initiative aimed at alleviating the challenges of food and other insecurities students are facing at Ohio University. The OHIO food pantry, affectionately called Cats’ Cupboard, is open to anyone in need.

More than 400 students access the Cats’ Cupboard an average of five times during the semester. For some, it is their main source for food. In summer of 2020, a survey of Cats’ Cupboard users was conducted to learn about the food pantry’s impact on students during the pandemic. Results found that 96% of users reported Cats’ Cupboard made them feel a part of the Ohio University community.

All gifts matched up to $3,000!

Jenny and Scott Hall-Jones are providing a 1:1 match, up to $3,000, for gifts designated to the Division of Student Affairs’ Food Pantry Support Fund. Their family is passionate about enhancing OHIO students’ experience and combatting food insecurity on campus. Jenny is a three-time OHIO graduate and currently serves as the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. Scott is a two-time OHIO graduate and teaches 4th grade for the Athens City School district. Their sons, Casey and Bryan, are both current Bobcats.

 You can support a Bobcat in need:

• $25 provides one student with a three-day supply of emergency food
• $75 feeds one student and their two children for the same space of time
• $400 provides a month of perishable items (milk, eggs, cheese, fresh produce) for 30 students
• $13,500 covers the cost of a Graduate Student to work directly with the pantry and our partners to reduce food insecurity and the stigmatization of hunger on campus.

According to an article published by NPR, more than a third of college students are suffering from food insecurity nationwide. Ohio University participated in a national basic needs study in 2017. That study found that 29 percent of its undergraduate students had “low” or “very low” food security. Students were skipping meals, cutting back portion sizes, or not eating at all because they weren't able to afford food.

The challenges of midterm papers, final exams and college debt are further exacerbated by hunger pains, as students who do not have their basic needs met report lower test scores, grades, and ultimately see a lower graduation rate.

In 2020, 30-50 pounds of food were served to students every two weeks. 27% of students had never used Cats’ Cupboard before COVID-19.

Make a gift today in support of this important Ohio University fund!