The OU Food Pantry began as a Student Government Association (SGA) initiative in Spring 2016. Under SGA President Daniel Page and Vice President Michael Lutter, the Executive Cabinet spent months planning what a campus food pantry would look like. In early 2017, the pantry opened with its first student staff of nine: Justin Ballou, Katie Dail, Melissa Henngier, Caleb Knowles, Matt Marks, Haley Mattei, Emily Sharp, Molly Sparks, and Jacob Thomas.

The pantry has always been student-run. It served 20 to 30 clients a week at first, and that number quickly grew to 120. Even during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the pantry stayed open, serving 30 to 40 clients a week. When students returned, growth continued, and in March 2022 the pantry set a record of 185 clients in one week.

On August 23, 2022, the OU Food Pantry moved to its current home at Cate Main (331 Cate Center Drive) with the goal of offering much more than food. Within our first weeks here, we consistently served over 400 clients per week.

What stared with nine students is now a student staff of more than 90, supported by over 1,300 active student volunteers. The staff is organized into six teams: Operations, Logistics, Community Engagement, Development, Health & Advocacy, and Recovery & Distribution. Led by Student Director Carson Browning, the 2026-27 team continues to make the OU Food Pantry a model for other campus food pantries.

Today, the pantry offers food, clothing, fresh produce, books, and coffee, with the hope of adding more resources in the future, and welcomes around 400 client visits each week.

The OU Food Pantry will continue to be a game-changer for our OU community. Thank you for supporting us in the past and for your continued support in the future!