The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Campus Cabinet Food Pantry is partnering with Northwestern Athletics for a monetary donation/non-perishable food drive at the home basketball games on Saturday, Feb. 15.
The women will tip off at 1 p.m. against Oklahoma Baptist University, and the men play at 3 p.m.
Brad Franz, director of athletics, said anyone who brings at least two items to donate to the pantry will receive free admission to the games. All non-perishable foods will be accepted, but the pantry has provided a “Most Needed Items” list to help fans decide what to bring. Those with season tickets and Northwestern students will be admitted like normal but are encouraged to donate to the pantry. Tax-deductible monetary donations also are accepted.
A list of the most needed types of non-perishable foods and other items includes:
Chili, peanut butter, grape/strawberry jelly, canned chicken, tuna, Vienna sausages, shelf-stable microwave-ready meals, toaster pastries, cereal, breakfast drinks (chocolate, vanilla), six-packs or boxes of individual bottles of fruit juices (apple, orange) and fruit cups (peaches, pineapple, oranges, apple sauce), soups (vegetable, chicken & rice, chicken noodle, tomato), spaghetti sauce (meat, traditional, cheese, garlic), toilet paper, facial tissues, deodorant for men and women, shampoo/conditioner, body wash (men and women), tampon multi-packs/pads, new bed pillows, new or like new sheets (twin XL), new or like new blankets, adult coats/jackets of varying sizes and many other items.
“We want to gather as many items as possible to help support our campus food pantry,” Franz said.
Checks should be payable to Northwestern Foundation with Campus Cabinet Food Pantry written on the memo line. Monetary donations may also be mailed to Angelia Case, coordinator of the Campus Cabinet, at 709 Oklahoma Blvd., Alva, OK 73717. Please make sure to include a name and address so that a receipt may be sent.
“Thank you for donating to our campus food pantry because we can’t help our students and employees in need without you,” Case said. “We’ve been having several clients each week during this school year with 15 submitting food forms within the last week.”
Case explained that during January alone more than $1,000 was spent locally to keep the pantry stocked. She added that expenditures on non-perishable foods and personal hygiene items over the past seven months have been more than $4,600.
More information about needed items or how Northwestern students and employees can use the pantry is available at www.www.nwosu.edu/campus-cabinet. Also on this web page are “Wish List” links for donors to use to purchase items directly from Walmart (https://bit.ly/campus-cabinet-wishlist) or Amazon (https://amzn.to/3skteAX).
More information is available by contacting Case at arcase@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8577.
-NW-