Get involved with Student Poverty Initiatives

How You Can Get Involved with Student Poverty Initiatives

Are you passionate about supporting your peers who may be facing challenges with securing basic needs, such as food, housing, or more? Penn State has many ways you can get involved from donating your time or money to helping conceptualize initiatives and solutions. 

Lion's Pantry

Volunteer with the Lion's Pantry, which is Penn State's official on-campus student food pantry. You can also donate food items or basic household items to the pantry. Commonwealth Campus students can learn more about opportunities with the food pantries on their campuses. 

Student Farm

Get involved as a volunteer or intern on the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm at University Park. The farm is part of the Sustainable Food Systems Program and focuses on food systems, sustainable agriculture and giving back to the community. The farm donate fresh produce to food pantries and provides produce to Penn State dinning commons. 

Swipe Out Hunger

Penn State hosts Swipe Out Hunger twice a year, in the spring and fall. Students have the opportunity to donate to the Student Emergency Fund when they pay for their meal at any residential dinging facility or through a Penn State Eats mobile order. The Student Emergency Fund directly supports students at every campus location facing food insecurity, as well as additional needs including housing insecurity, homelessness and unexpected emergencies.

Project Cahir: Penn State Students United Against Poverty

Project Cahir is a scholarship initiative where students conceptualize and work on projects that help change the poverty landscape and Penn State or in the local community. In addition to working on projects, students meet weekly to learn about poverty on the national and local level through readings, discussions, and guest speakers. Students are invited to apply for the program on an annual basis through the Project Cahir website.