Baruch students who face food insecurity now have a free resource right on campus.
The Bearcat Food Pantry—made possible with the generous support of the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation—opened last semester and provides healthy, nutritious food options for students. The Petrie Foundation initially contributed $30,000 to the project and plans to fund about $10,000 annually.
At the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, President S. David Wu hailed the pantry as a milestone and expressed gratitude for the Petrie Foundation’s grant.
“When people ask me about Baruch, I like to say we provide a top-tier education that is accessible to all students, but it is hard to offer academic excellence if our students are hungry and dealing with food insecurity,” President Wu said. “So having this pantry is an important piece of what we do in supporting our students in all types of different ways.”
Students visiting the Bearcat Pantry have a wide selection of food to fill their grocery bags for themselves and their families, including canned goods, dairy, and frozen meats and poultry. Kosher and Halal options are also available.
Inventory constantly changes, and the Pantry can adjust to meet students’ needs.
Currently, Baruch students need an appointment to access the pantry—and it is also open to any students from The City University of New York system.
“We are excited for everyone who worked so hard to celebrate the grand opening of the Bearcat Food Pantry,” said Art King, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “Now we have a physical space where students can come shop and grab food that they need to either eat here on campus while going to school or bring home and help feed their family to sustain themselves.”
Anyone—including alumni—can contribute items to the pantry, which accepts unopened toiletries and donations of unopened food that has at least two weeks before the listed expiration date. To arrange a drop-off of donations, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@ baruch.cuny.edu or call (646) 312-4570.