Food and shelter insecurities are an unfortunate reality for students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and nationwide. Nearly 1 in 3 students on our campus worries about not having enough food until they get money to buy more.
Husker Pantry, located on the 1st floor of the University Health Center (room 123), provides a one-stop location to assist students. Information about community resources for housing and other food assistance programs is also available.
Order Online
Curbside Bag Pick Up
Husker Pantry is now offering curbside bag pick up for food, hygiene items, and school supplies. Students will be able to submit an order each week for what they need. On the order form, students will select which food, hygiene items, and school supplies they would like to receive (limited to what the pantry has in stock). Students can also choose to receive meal tickets to the dining hall through the online order form.
Ordering Instructions
The pantry will be closed December 21st- January 1st
Ordering for this week will be live at 12:00 a.m. Thursday, December 3rd and will close at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 6th.
Place an Order- Only current students may submit an order.
- The link to order will change each week. Please come back to the website each week to place your order.
- Orders must be placed between Thursday at 12:01 a.m. and Sunday at 11:59 p.m. each week to pick up items the following Wednesday or Thursday (see times below).
- You will need to submit your order in one sitting. You cannot go back and alter an order after it has been submitted
- You may submit one order per student per week.
Pick Up Instructions
- Pick Up Times for Between Semesters: Wednesdays 2-6 pm and Thursdays 9-1
- You will pick up your order during your selected day/time outside of the University Health Center. Off of the North parking lot, go to the farthest East door (past the patient entrance).
- Please do not enter the building
- You may choose to park in the new Pantry Pick Up parking spot (designated by a sign) that is just to the east of the patient doors
- When you arrive please call the pantry at 402-472-8975 and provide the name that is on the order.
- A pantry staff member will bring the order outside to you in a cart. You will need to take your items out of the cart for contactless pick up
- If you do not pick up your order, your items will be reshelved
Food and Shelter Insecurity
What does food and shelter insecurity look like? If you can identify with any of the following, please use pantry services!
- You don't have a permanent place to live and you're couch surfing
- You don't have a permanent place to live and live at your workplace or on the street
- You live on-campus during the school year, but you're homeless during breaks and the summer
- You are at risk of eviction from your home
- You can't afford to buy healthy food to eat
- You can't afford food at the end of the month when you're waiting for your next paycheck
- You can only afford to spend a very small amount of money each week on food
- You skip meals or eat snacks for meals because you can't afford more
- You have to choose between paying bills and buying enough food
Volunteer
Applications for new pantry volunteers starting in Spring 2021 closed on Oct. 25th. Applications for new volunteers starting in Summer 2021 or Fall 2021 will open up during the spring semester.
Volunteer Commitments
- Work at least one, one-hour shift per week staffing the pantry and welcoming students (same day/time each week)
- Actively participate as a member of the Pantry Student Advisory Board that meets once a month during the school year
- Actively participate as a member of a sub-committee of the Student Advisory Board
- Speak to at least one group per semester about the pantry
- Volunteer for at least two other pantry events during the semester, which may include:
- Collecting donations from the donation bins around campus
- Helping to market the pantry, reaching out to campus and community organizations to create awareness, staffing booths at involvement fairs, etc.
- Soliciting donations from university and community groups and helping to coordinate food drives
- Representing the pantry at events and picking up donations from food drives
Donate
It’s easy to help support husker students! You can support students in the following ways:
Amazon Wish List
Purchase some items off of our Amazon wish list! They will be shipped directly to the pantry.
Monetary Donations
Gifts also can be made to the University of Nebraska Foundation, fund #01140700. Online gifts can be made via credit or debit card, and an electronic donation receipt will be emailed to you. Memorial gifts can also be made through the Foundation website.
If you'd like to donate via cash or check, please drop it off at the pantry or mail to:
Husker Pantry
c/o Megan Patel
127C HCCN (University Health Center)
Lincoln, NE 68588-0628
Donate Items
You can drop off donations at the donation bins around campus
Below is the list of items that we stock at the pantry. Items in bold are more needed at this time.
OUR MOST WANTED ITEM FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IS RICE
Food
- Applesauce
- Canned beans (kidney & garbanzo)
- Canned chili
- Canned fruit
- Canned meats (ex: chicken)
- Canned vegetables
- Cereal
- Condiments (ex: ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, etc.)
- Crackers/Chips
- Drinks (ex: juice, tea, etc.)
- Gluten-free items
- Granola/protein bars
- Instant potatoes
- Jelly/jam
- Mac & cheese
- Microwaveable oatmeal
- Nuts
- Pancake/waffle mix and syrup
- Pantry staples (ex: flour, sugar, oil, baking powder/soda, salt & pepper)
- Pasta
- Pasta sauce
- Peanut butter
- Rice
- Spices and seasonings
- Soup
- Sugar-free items
- Trail/snack mix
- Tuna
Hygiene
- Body Lotion
- Body Wash
- Conditioner
- Deodorant
- Face wash
- First aid items (ex: bandaids)
- Hair accessories (ex: hair ties, hair gel, etc.)
- Makeup remover/face wipes
- Period products (tampons & pads)
- Razors
- Shampoo
- Shaving cream
- Soap
- Toilet paper
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
Other
- Cleaning supplies
- Disinfectant wipes
- Baby wipes
- Baby food (no glass jars please)
- Diapers
- Dish soap
- Hand soap
- Laundry detergent and fabric softener
- Manual can openers
- Paper towels
- Plastic baggies
- Plastic utensils
- School supplies
- Tissues
Please know that we cannot accept opened/used items; rusty, damaged or dented cans; expired food; homemade food; home canned food; alcohol; energy drinks; food with no label; or food that requires refrigeration or freezing. We also do not accept pet food or clothing.
Are you looking to partner on an event?
We’re fortunate to have many philanthropic student organizations and departments at the university. If you would like to partner on an event or would like to hold a food drive for the pantry, please contact us so we can assist you in your donation efforts.
We can create a custom flier for your event, help you promote it, and provide you with a list of our current needs. Just email us at pantry@unl.edu or give us a call at (402) 472-8975.
Donation Bin Locations
City Campus
University Health Center
Room 127, Outside of Big Red Resilience & Well-Being
Enter the second door from the West off of the North parking lot
Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center
To the left of the front desk on the 1st floor
Nebraska Union
Next to the welcome desk on the North side of the 1st floor
Campus Recreation
Walk in the main doors and turn left before you reach the counter and go through the double glass doors and it should be to the right as you walk in.
Louise Pound Hall
Room 130 (Husker Hub)
Room 205 (CYAF)
Outside of husker hub on 1st floor there's an elevator to the left. Take it to the second floor and take a left on the hallway towards department of management. Take a left and look to the right outside of actuarial science.
Room 305 (Arts & Sciences Louise Pound Hall Co-Op)
Nebraska Hall
Room 310
Love Library South
In the lobby near room 127
Walk in and turn left down the hallway. Look to the left by the computers in the hallway and the bin should be right next to that.
Andrews Hall
Room 201 (Department of English)
Walk in and turn left down the hallway. Look to the left by the computers in the hallway and the bin should be right next to that.
Richards Hall
Outside of room 17 near the vending machines
Locate doors that look out at the parking lot and stadium. Walk down the ramp and look to the left.
Neihardt
Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid
Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School
Park in the guest parking. Walk towards a glass doors on surface level take the side door into the building. Walk through the double doors. Walk straight down the hallway and look to your right
Business Services Complex
Walk in the 1700 Y Street door walk to the counter and look behind the counter on the floor to the right.
East Campus
Hardin Hall
In the lobby
Barkley Center
Dept. of Special Edu. and Comm. Disorders
Leverton Hall
Room 110 (Dept. of Nutrition and Health Sciences)
Walk into the front doors that are facing the loop. Walk straight and take a left into the room 110 and the bin is on the floor to the left as you walk into the room.
Chase Hall
Biological Systems Engineering
Second floor breakroom
If you'd like a permanent donation bin for your campus building, let us know!
Our Staff
If you have questions, we're happy to assist you. Give us a call at 402-472-8975 or email us at pantry@unl.edu.
Megan Patel, Program Coordinator
meganpatel@unl.edu
402-472-9093
Katie Petersen, Graduate Assistant
Volunteer Student Advisory Board
Erin Alexander
Evie Anderson
Jill Belgen
Kate Berzonsky
Julia Curtis
Karin Ellefson
Sophia Genova
Kailynn Jensen
Sophie Johnson
Jacqueline Manchester
Divine Mbabazi
Apoorva Mitra
Bitsy Oberle
Jaden Roe
Troy Scheer
Colleen Sherman
Brooke Schmidt