UC's Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center opens new digs

Walk into the new space for the Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center and it looks more like a well-stocked grocery store than a typical food pantry.

Plenty of staples like pasta, rice and ramen noodles on the shelves. They share space with essentials like cooking oil, flour and sugar. A new refrigerated area also offers fresh vegetables, fruits and proteins.

The new pantry space is on the main floor of Stratford Heights, Building 16, on the Uptown campus of the University of Cincinnati. Formerly the pantry operated in the basement of the same building.

The Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center first opened its doors in 2016 and has provided free food, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, diapers and wet wipes to students of all backgrounds with food insecurities. There are two satellite locations on the Uptown campus in the College of Allied Health Sciences and the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. 

UC officials opened the new space with a short ceremony and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 25. Daniel Cummins, associate dean of students, and Anna Albi, Cincinnati City Council member, were speakers for the event which drew about 60 well-wishers.

The fanfare drew the attention of several journalists resulting in coverage from Fox 19, Local 12, WCPO, WLWT and Spectrum News.

“If you create something with passion, love and service folks will get behind it and believe in it,” said Daniel Cummins, associate dean of students. 

Cummins called the Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center a premier operation on college campuses. “Other schools do some parts of what we do, but not all of it. There is no nation like Bearcat nation,” adds Cummins.

Cummins said 30% of college students are food insecure. During the 2023-2024 school year, the pantry served 2,200 individual users more than 9,400 times (many are repeat users). During the fall 2024, the pantry served more than 1,620 individual users 5,241 times (many are repeat users).

“We serve students faith-based needs, health preference needs, we serve students who are parents with our family first program and we grow our own fruits and vegetables,” explained Cummins. “The only way we can do these things is through the generosity of donations.”

The pantry functions thanks to a team of student volunteers and a program coordinator who manages day-to-day operations.

The pantry also provides the Career Closet, which offers free professional clothing to students who are preparing for interviews, internship experiences or professional classroom presentations. 

View online coverage of the Bearcats Pantry and Resource Center grand reopening from coverage from Fox 19, and Local 12.

Learn more about the Bearcat Pantry and Resource Center along with food pantry efforts at Blue Ash College and Clermont College online.