On Friday, Oct. 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs hosted the grand re-opening of the Dub-C Resource Pantry. Friday not only celebrated the grand re-opening in their new location on the first floor of Commonwealth Hall, but also celebrated their one-year anniversary. Resource Pantry Director Gabby Singh said, “We wanted this event to not only be a celebration of our new location, but to use this event to bring more awareness to our office as a whole.”
The celebration was located right outside of Commonwealth Hall on the front lawn. Doughnuts and hot apple cider were served as tours moved in and out of the new facility. Student volunteers of the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs took groups through the pantry itself as well as the new offices.
The Dub-C Pantry is a free resource open to any and all students that offers non-perishable goods as well as personal care items, school supplies and professional attire. There is no limit on the supplies you can take. “One of our main goals is to help eliminate any barriers to degree completion that may exist by providing students with these goods,” said fourth-year student studying communication studies and volunteer, Ray. In addition to providing these items to students on campus they also offer monthly cooking demos with fresh ingredients. The main goal of these demos is to go beyond just providing products it is about understanding how to use them.
As part of their kick-off celebration, they had placed yellow bins all around campus to collect donations. These bins were a big part of the grand opening celebration not only to collect donations for the bigger facility but to promote awareness all across campus.
During the rest of the year, the DubC Pantry partners with the Chester County Food Bank to obtain most of their donations. Their fresh produce comes from gardens on both North and South Campuses right here at West Chester University. The pantry has also partnered with Wings for Success, a local non-profit whose goal is to prepare and empower women to go out into the workforce and to provide students with professional apparel that they may not have otherwise been able to obtain. Many of their donations also come directly from individuals in the community.
“It is so important to understand the needs of the community in order to properly help,” Ray said when discussing how vital the community donors are to the pantry. The pantry stresses that you come and speak with them about their current needs before making donations to ensure that all supplies are being put to good use.
The tour also discussed many of the other tasks and opportunities that the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs offers. This office provides service learning opportunities such as alternative break trips both domestic and internationally. Leadership development and scholarship are also stressed as well as publicizing volunteer opportunities to our campus community. The Resource Pantry can be contacted at pantry@wcupa.edu.
Rachel Spurlock is a second-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at RS874054@wcupa.edu.