Starting Jan. 22 through Feb. 5, Bob’s Cupboard will be hosting a food drive where they are asking for help from the students and the community of Slippery Rock.
Donation sites will be across campus in the Smith Student Center lobby and the Macoskey Center; starting Feb. 1, the library will also be open for donations.
Many items are wanted ranging from toiletries and cleaning items, to healthy foods and cooking supplies. One of the most important things that people can donate are instant meals and fruits. All items are welcome and appreciated.
Bob’s Cupboard is still very young. With help from the Bonner program, SGA and the Macoskey Center the organization is really taking off at the start of this semester. Leif Lindgren, the vice president of student and academic affairs, spoke on the early stages of this organization.
“I’d say we were fully operational in October. It’s student run. There’s a lot of groups involved and we are able to communicate and share ideas and in the end, we all communicate well together,” said Lindgren.
Lindgren made a point to say that this was the first big organized event for Bob’s Cupboard. He then followed with talking about how it all started.
“In 2017 or 2018, the previous V.P. had noticed that SRU has a food insecurity problem. The way we could address this was to have a food pantry on campus for students. Over the last couple years there has been momentum towards this idea,” said Lindgren.
About two years ago it was decided that the Macoskey Center was the primary location for Bob’s Cupboard. Just last year, they were staffing and making sure everything could run efficiently.
Lindgren carries a large responsibility of overseeing the food pantry, such as creating and releasing the student life survey every semester while also evaluating campus safety.
This is not only for students to get involved, but to also have a resource. Students in need can find an intake form on CORE if they need assistance from Bob’s Cupboard. After a form is submitted, they get together necessities for the student and leave it in a bag on the front porch of Macoskey Center for pickup. This process creates some anonymity, providing security and support for students.
Lindgren is excited for the future of this organization and what is to come to support the University’s population.
For more information on the food drive or getting involved with Bob’s Cupboard, reach out to bobscupboard@sru.edu.
