Feed The Bears
Food Pantry Services & SNAP Benefits
SNAP BEnefits
Use this SNAP Benefits Eligibility Tool for KU Students. In three minutes or less, a KU student will find out if the criteria is met for receiving benefits and then provide resources. To learn more about SNAP, click here.
Bear Essentials Pantry
The Bear Essentials Pantry is located in the McFarland Student Union Building and can be accessed Monday-Friday from 8 AM - 4:30 PM. Come to the Office of Student Involvement in MSU 153, across from the KU Campus Store.
The pantry is stocked with a variety of non-perishable foods and products, including canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, snack bars, crackers, rice, sauce, pastas, etc. Personal care items and school supplies are also available. No appointments are necessary.
KU Student Food Pantry
Any student in need of food or personal care items may also come to the KU Student Food Pantry, a
All students will sign in and complete brief paperwork. Your KU ID will need to be presented on your first visit (paperwork is renewed annually). Reusable grocery totes are provided to be used to carry selected items and then again on return visits. Students arriving in a car are asked to park behind the house in a proper parking spot on the Lutheran Center property, or in the larger adjacent parking lot.
The additional social services provided by Friend, Inc. can be seen in detail here. A Friend, Inc. staff member is one site during these pantry times. Additional opportunities for food access may also be arranged.
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Hours:
Wednesdays from 4PM - 6PM
Thursdays from 11AM-12:00PM
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Pasta & Canned Goods
The food pantry provides students with numerous canned goods and pasta products.
Meet Ryan Tuerk
Ryan is one of the Friend Inc. staff members dedicated to the Student Food Pantry. (Photo taken September 2019)
Fresh Frozen Meats and Seafood Available
These proteins, along with plant-based nourishment, are critical to a balanced diet.
Canned Soups and Vegetables available
Students have access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of non-perishable canned goods.
Information for Students & Families
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About Food Insecurity
Food insecurity, as defined by the College & University Food Bank Alliance, is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the inability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner. The most extreme form is often accompanied by physiological sensations of hunger.
Statistically, 2 in 5 students are hungry and lack sufficient access to food. Food insecurity cuts across all demographic statuses, enrollment levels, and geographic locations. These stressors affect student success in the long-term by impacting learning, grades, graduation time, and more. Kutztown University is proud to provide students with services like the Bear Essentials Pantry and the KU Student Food Pantry, a satellite of Friend, Inc. to address the issue of food insecurity on our campus.
Kutztown University has been designated as a Pennsylvania Hunger-Free Campus since 2022. This designation provides access to grants and funding to support campus programs and partnerships. KU is the proud recipient of the following grants:
- 2023-2024 Swipe Out Hunger in the amount of $6,000
- 2022-2023 Pennsylvania Hunger Free Campus Grant in the amount of $60,000
- 2023-2024 Pennsylvania Hunger Free Campus Grant in the amount of $60,000
- 2024-2025 Pennsylvania Hunger Free Campus Grant and Swipe Out Hunger Grant applications pending
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How You Can Help
Physical donations of nonperishable food items, monetary donations and gift cards can be dropped off at MSU 153. We thank you in advance for your generosity!
Frequently Needed Items
- Nonperishable Items: Gluten-Free Items, Macaroni and Cheese, Pasta, Peanut Butter, Granola Bars, Breakfast Bars, Rice, Rice & Beans, Crackers, Paper Plates, Plasticware
- Canned Items: soups, beans, tuna, chicken, chili, pasta
- Single Serve Items: fruit bowls, chips, pretzels, gummies, mac and cheese cups, applesauce
- Personal Care Products Include: Period Products, Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Deodorant, Razors, Shaving Cream, Lotion, Chapstick
Looking to volunteer with us? At our Student Food Pantry, we could always use a helping hand. We have times available on Wednesdays from 12:30 PM-2 PM, and Thursdays from 11 AM-12 PM to volunteer. If you are interested, please contact the Office of Student Involvement by stopping in or emailing involvement@kutztown.edu.
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SNAP Benefits for College Students
Most students ages 18 - 49 who are enrolled in a college, university, or other institution of higher education at least half of the time are not eligible for SNAP benefits. However, students may be able to get SNAP benefits if they meet certain criteria under one of the following:
- Receive public assistance under a Title IV-A Program of the Social Security Act;
- Take part in a state or federally financed
work-study program; - Work at least 20 hours a week; or
- Are taking care of a dependent household member under the age of 6, or a member of the house over the age of 5 but under 12 and do not have adequate
childcare that prevents them from attending school, working a minimum of 20 hours, or taking part in a state or federally financedwork-study program.
Students needing assistance completing the application for SNAP benefits (or any other assistance) may get that help by contacting Friend, Inc.
"Thanks to the Student Food Pantry, I was able to provide myself with a week of meals. I found out about this service just in time, when I was not able to afford food. I am grateful that the Kutztown community has come together to provide this service to the students."
- Kutztown University Student