OHIO community bands together to support Baker Food Pantry
“Bobcats help Bobcats.” It’s a phrase that can often be heard at Ohio University as members of the community, in ways big and small, come together to support one another.
In recent months, that phrase has evolved into a program dubbed Bobcats Helping Bobcats. Part of the Division of Student Affairs, the program provides a means for students, staff and faculty to support students on the Athens campus who are experiencing emergencies that may impact their overall well-being and thwart their path toward an OHIO degree.
This fall, Bobcats Helping Bobcats piloted a meal bank program, allowing students to donate up to three meals to fellow Bobcats in need. In the coming months, Bobcats Helping Bobcats plans on launching a microgrant emergency fund, allowing students to apply for one-time funding to mitigate an emergency, such as a car repair, that could derail their academic pursuits.
But the program’s most established and successful initiative to date is the Baker University Center Food Pantry that provides donated food and personal care items to both students and community members in need.
Shawnlee Harrington’s car was filled to the brim with food donations on her way to Athens.
“Food insecurity is a reality for students here at Ohio University, as well as across the nation,” said Kathy Fahl, OHIO’s new assistant dean of students who is spearheading the Division of Student Affairs’ efforts to support students’ basic needs. “When students don’t have enough to eat, they are more likely to miss class, drop out of school, have a harder time paying attention, and experience other challenges, including mental health issues.”
Fahl said one of her goals is to increase the usage and availability of the Baker University Center Food Pantry. The pantry’s success is dependent on donations from the OHIO community, including Bobcat parents and alumni who recently stepped up to make a significant donation to the effort.
Shawnlee Harrington’s daughter, Maddie, is a first-year student on the Athens campus. When Harrington heard about the food pantry, she made a donation. Another one of Harrington’s children plays on the Olentangy Silver Hawks Field Hockey Team, open to middle school girls living in Ohio’s Olentangy School District. Each season, the team engages in a philanthropic activity.
This year, the team opted to hold a food drive, and Harrington suggested the Baker University Center Food Pantry. Harrington’s recommendation resonated with the team’s coaches, OHIO alumnae Beth Takavitz McCarthy, BSC ’11, and Patty Donahue Rust, BSED ’10.
“Ohio University will always hold a special place in my heart,” said McCarthy. “I’m proud to be a Bobcat and am grateful to my alma mater for providing me with a solid education that has played a major role in my HR career, as well as the friendships that I formed while attending that are still a huge part of my life today. Giving back to a place that has provided me with so much seemed like the right thing to do.”
The coaching staff turned the food drive into a competition between the A and B teams, challenging the players to see which team could bring in the most donations. The result: 350 pounds of donated food items, which Harrington delivered to the food pantry in late September.
“That day, when she (Harrington) pulled up, her car was loaded with food, and it took two big carts to bring into Baker Center,” Fahl said. “It was really amazing to experience that level of support from people who don’t know our students necessarily, don’t interact with them, but want to help.”
For McCarthy and Rust, the donation was not only an opportunity to give back to Ohio University but also to instill in their players some life lessons and values.
“We think it’s important to show the girls how we can recognize what we have and give to others,” Rust said of the team’s philanthropy. “The players and their families were so generous with their donations. The girls all helped Shawnlee load up her car and were excited about how much food was brought in.”
McCarthy said she reached out to some her neighbors who are also OHIO alumni and who were happy to donate to the food drive.
“We love to be Bobcats helping Bobcats!” said Rust.
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When the Baker Center Food Pantry opened in April 2017, the demand for food was startling and motivated the Division of Student Affairs to make this effort and other student basic needs initiatives a priority. In the first six weeks of the fall 2018 semester, more than 1,000 pounds of food have been donated to the pantry and distributed to our campus community.
Support OHIO’s Student Affairs Food Pantry Support Fund and let students dealing with food insecurity worry about tough professors and late night study sessions —not hunger.