Frequently Asked Questions
How does it work?
Any Penn State Behrend student is eligible to submit an order once per week by going to our unique (and anonymous) online ordering form. New users are asked to fill out our Intake Form, but returners can simply go right to selecting their items. Students can order exactly what they will use, make suggestions of food they’d like to see stocked, notify us of allergies and dietary restrictions, and leave comments.
Once a student submits an order form, they’ll receive an automatic email response with their order number and pickup instructions.
Emergency Orders are an option we have during non-COVID times for students who need extended pickup hours, or need their order immediately. Our staff does their best to accommodate these orders in a timely manner, and will send a separate email to these students with specific instructions.
Questions? Email us at bdlionspantry@psu.edu
Who funds the Behrend Lion’s Pantry?
We receive funding from several sources:
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- faculty/staff who participate in payroll deduction
- faculty/staff/retirees/alumni who donate food items
- monetary donations
- student fundraisers
- 2018-2019 we also used funding from the Student Activity Fee (SAF)
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For more information on how you can support our operations, please see our “Support the Pantry” page.
How many orders have we received?
We’ve kept track of the number of student orders received since we began operations in February of 2018 and are happy to share this information upon request. Please email us at bdlionspantry@psu.edu. Any data from our intake form, and all email addresses, are kept strictly confidential.
Can I volunteer for the Behrend Lion’s Pantry?
If you have an idea or a skill you’d like to share with us – reach out! We embrace Behrend’s Open-Lab Learning concept and encourage student support! We regularly partner with Nursing, Communications, and Engineering students on projects.
How can I access feminine hygiene products?
We proudly started offering free feminine hygiene products to all Behrend students in the fall of 2019. A handful of U.S. states have passed laws mandating schools provide period products to students, but we didn’t wait for that! No student should ever worry about their hygiene while enrolled at Behrend so we stock these items and make them available at any time in The Smith Chapel, lower level, on the Lion’s Pantry shelves.
Can I donate items to the Pantry?
Absolutely! You can see a list of items we’re always looking for on our “Support the Pantry” page. We accept food and hygiene items outside of that list; they’ll be put on our pickup shelves for anyone to take. We re-donate any uncollected items to Second Harvest Food Bank.
We do not accept clothing, medicinal items, candy or other non-nutritious foods.
Can I donate LionCash?
Unfortunately not at this time. However, you can always purchase items from The Galley and donate them to the Lion’s Pantry! We host a big collection drive at the end of the school year so all your leftover LionCash doesn’t go to waste, but you can donate at any time.
Here are items you can donate from The Galley:
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- Tissue Box
- Shampoo
- Toothbrush
- Cereal
- Ramen
- Pasta Sauce
- Rice
- Nutrigrain Bars
- Canned Vegetables
- Soup
- Peanut Butter
- Jelly
- Mac and Cheese Box
- Canned Tuna
- Chef Boyardee
- Instant Oatmeal
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What if I have dietary restrictions?
We do our best to accommodate students with dietary restrictions. That could mean we pull from existing inventory (we try to keep gluten-free, nut free, sugar free, and vegan options available) or if we need to purchase particular food items, we sometimes do that too. An example would be if a student requested a halal version of a food item we offer in the pantry, and we have the means to purchase that item, we would.
Do you have a question we didn’t answer? Email us at bdlionspantry@psu.edu