OU Food Pantry

Established in March 2017, the OU Food Pantry is a free resource open to all OU students, faculty and staff to address food insecurity and hunger on campus. Matt Marks, who graduated from Gaylord College in 2018 then completed an adult and higher education master’s degree in 2020, was part of the pantry’s founding group. 

Now, Marks is still involved as OU’s campus care coordinator, a position he filled in December 2020. In addition to working with the food pantry, Marks has responsibilities with the Behavior Intervention Team and the Sooners Helping Sooners Fund.

Aside from a slight dip in numbers during the pandemic, the pantry has seen an increased number of visitors each year, which Marks expects to continue in 2021. Earlier this year, the OU Food Pantry hit a major milestone - 10,000 orders fulfilled. 

“I think of stories people share with us about how much this pantry means to them, how it’s helping them survive and get through the week,” Marks said. “Some are very open about the struggles they’re going through, and we can try to lessen the burden and do our part to do what we can. That’s 10,000 different stories that we’re playing a part in. It’s pretty remarkable seeing that number, and we can’t wait for the next 10,000 and beyond.” 

Marks said it makes his day seeing the impact the pantry has made and also working with a group of student leaders who are passionate about what they’re doing. The food pantry team includes students who focus on the areas of outreach, logistics and operations. 

“I've just been blown away by the leadership and our executive team of the pantry because they really are some exceptional student leaders that are so passionate for the cause," Marks shared. "They give a lot of hours each and every week, and I kind of wonder how they have the time because they're busy with school and everything else, but they're so passionate about it. They just got great hearts to serve.”

The pantry has also grown in ways beyond the number of visitors, including a redesign of the website and the creation of a newsletter. When the pandemic began, order fulfillment moved online. Recognizing the need for an efficient system, the team redid its storage space to better function as a volunteer headquarters. Long term, the food pantry team hopes to turn its space into a resource center and expand its services. 

Last fall, the OU Food Pantry staff started a cooking show, filming a couple of episodes on iPhones to demonstrate how items from the pantry could be used in a meal. The pantry is now partnering with Gaylord College to make this a more professional production. 

“It’s amazing that we can have students who are working their degree, and this can be something for their resume or reel," Marks explained. "At the same time, they also want to help us as a nonprofit and help us create an educational tool that we can send out on social media or put on our website. It’s a unique partnership that, and there’s not another college food pantry that I know of that is doing anything like this. I’m just thankful for the connections and the people in Gaylord College.”

Those wishing to donate to the OU Food Pantry can do so by making an online donation through the University of Oklahoma Foundation or by purchasing items from the Amazon Wishlist. People may also donate items during the pantry’s hours of operation or email OUpantry@ou.edu to schedule a drop-off time.