Our Crowdfunding Groups
Hello everyone,
I wanted to share with you that we just found out the Marion Campus Food Pantry was awarded a matching grant of $4300.00 to the money that was raised through this Buckeye Funder campaign. That means your donation now has twice the impact, and it also means that the students in English 3304 helped the food pantry not only reach the goal of $3,000 but exceed it by $5,600, nearly doubling the goal.
With this funding, we can provide approximately 18,400 meals to college students on our campus who are experiencing food insecurity.
Thank you for making a contribution to this campaign. As you can see, the ripple effects of your donation continue to pay it forward and help our students.
Amy Tibbals
Go Buckeyes!
Just The Beginning
Though we have exceeded our crowdfunding campaign goal and successfully raised $4,300 for the Marion Campus Food Pantry, this is just the start! Continuing to raise funds for the food pantry is vital for its success. Until recently, the pantry’s supply of food had come from food drives alone. Further, continuous funding is needed in order to keep the shelves of the food pantry stocked with healthy food for the students of OSU Marion. That is where the Kroger Community Rewards Program comes in.
The 411 On The Kroger Community Rewards Program
Kroger is a popular grocery store chain that has two locations in Marion alone. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could donate to the Marion Campus Food Pantry just by doing your normal shopping? With the Kroger Community Rewards Program, you can! The Kroger Community Rewards program is a fundraising program offered to Kroger Plus cardholders, in which a percentage of their purchase is donated to a local organization of their choosing. Signing up is free, easy, and simple:
Click on “View details,” under the “I’m a Customer,” option.
Sign into your Kroger account or select “Create an Account.”
Enter “Buckeye Food Alliance Marion Chapter,” where it says “Find an Organization.”
Select “Enroll.”
Do your regular grocery shopping!
Spread The Word, Increase The Earnings.
The more Kroger shoppers that are connected with the Buckeye Food Alliance Marion Chapter, the more funds are raised for the Marion Campus Food Pantry. The pantry will receive a quarterly check from Kroger, the amount depending on how many people connect and how much they spend. Not only will individuals being donating to the pantry, but by signing up to be a Kroger Plus cardholder, they will receive exclusive deals and offers! Customers should be sure to swipe their plus card at checkout or enter the phone number that is connected with their account in order for a portion of their purchase to be donated to the food pantry. The funding earned by the Kroger Community Rewards Program is a consistent way for the pantry to be able to purchase foods to keep their supply in alignment with the demand from students needing assistance. With orientation coming up, the knowledge of the food pantry will spread among students. With knowledge of the pantry, comes an expected influx of students utilizing the food pantry as a resource. In order to ensure that the pantry shelves are stocked and prepared, funding is crucial. Sign up for the Kroger Community Rewards Program, spread the word, be the change.
I wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who gave to our Marion Campus Food Pantry Campaign. Your gift will ensure that struggling college students on the Marion Campus have access to a free, healthy food resource, which will aid in the overall goal of helping a student succeed in college. Using the Mid-Ohio Foodbank's pricing model, your generosity has provided enough funds for approximately 13,200 meals.
While this is a great start, please keep the Marion Campus Food Pantry in mind and continue to support it in the following ways:
The other cool part of this project is that 16 students in my Business and Professional Writing course set the goal of $3,000 to raise for the pantry, and through their hard work, marketing and event planning skills, they were able to achieve it. Using their skills in this way provided them hands-on experience and allowed them to incorporate service to our campus community as well. OSU Marion is proud to offer multiple service-learning opportunities, and this was just one course that will make a positive impact long after the class ends.
So, again, I appreciate your support for this project and thank you for the positive impact you have made in the lives of college students at OSU Marion!
Amy Tibbals
Senior Lecturer
English Department, OSU Marion
“You’ll find out that nothing that comes easy is worth a dime. As a matter of fact, I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face. Never.” – Woody Hayes
Actually, we exceeded our goal! Thank you to everyone who donated, and helped us fight food insecurity on the OSU Marion Campus! Whether you donated money, time or even a tweet or a share, you have helped change the lives of our students. We hope that this will let those in need know that they are not looked down upon for their situation and that, as Buckeyes, we stand together!
Yay! What Next?
While we met our goal, that doesn’t not remove the need for more donations. Many students still need food, and this campaign was just the first layer in the foundation that we want to lay for the future of this institution and what it stands for. So long as even one student still needs to struggle for something to eat, the Marion Campus Food Pantry will be there to help. So, don’t stop donating and keep pushing for a better way to help those who are taking so much burden to achieve their dreams! Continue having food drives, donating your time and money, and spread the message, “ Communities working together are unstoppable!”
-The Students of English 3304 for the Marion Food Pantry-
On February 27th, a dodge ball tournament was held in the Student Center. The event helped us to raise $50, giving our fundraiser the final push over our $3000 goal! We would like to give a special thanks Amy Tibbals and Starbucks for donating gift cards, coffee cups, and coffee beans as prizes for winners of the event.
Along with these amazing donors who made the event possible, we would like to say thank you to each and every person who has donated to our fundraiser. Our goal all along has been to provide students with healthy food options so that their education can continue without the burden of food insecurity. Each of you made that possible! Everyone who has made efforts to support the food pantry has made a difference in the lives of countless college students, and we greatly appreciate your generosity!
During our “Donations for Donuts” event, we had 3 donors answer a series of questions and recorded their responses. For matters of privacy, we won’t be releasing any last names.
We asked the follow questions and received the answers:
● Did you know that we have a food pantry on campus?
Cameron and Aubrey both are regulars at the Alber Student Center and were aware that we had a food pantry. Our third participant, Aaron, was unaware that we had a campus food pantry.
● What percent of students do you think fight food insecurity here on campus? After responding, they were asked if they were surprised by this number.
A. 10%
B. 15%
C. 20%
D. Greater than 25%
Cameron answered C and was extremely surprised to find out that according to a recent survey, more than 25% of those who responded face food insecurity. Aaron and Aubrey answered correctly and they both weren’t surprised because “we’re college students and don’t have money.”
● If you wouldn’t mind us asking, have you faced any struggles with food insecurity? Based on the response, there were one of two questions that would be asked:
● If no, how do you think this could affect someone’s learning abilities? If yes, how has it affected your learning ability?
Cameron responded yes, and replied that it has in fact hindered his learning experiences. Aubrey and Aaron had not faced food insecurity, but Aaron followed his answer with, “With malnutrition, it is hard to focus and learn.”
What a great turn out for Donuts for Donations! Both teams did amazing work in raising money for the food pantry. On Monday February 25, the first group helped raise $72 towards the food pantry. On Tuesday, the second group raised $117 making a grand total of $189 for both groups! From students and professors to coworkers and donut enthusiasts, people donated for the cause with some even giving without wanting a donut! To everyone that gave, we thank you for backing the OSU Marion Campus Student Food Pantry!
February 26, 2019
Join us as a community in the last stretch of our Food Pantry Campaign! Donate today as one last chance to help our students. All non-anonymous donors* -- no matter when you donated-- will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a $25 gift card for the Marcus Crosswoods Cinema, just in time for the new blockbuster season! Donation deadline is March 2, 2019 by 11:59pm and the drawing will be conducted on March 4, 2019.
*Raffle is not open to students of the Business Writing Class (English 3304).
In effort to continue our successful crowdfunding campaign, we will be hosting a dodge ball tournament in the Albert Student Center to raise additional funds for the Marion Campus Food Pantry. This is event is meant to raise awareness and donations by providing a fun social event.
The event is open for everyone to attend! To join as a competing team, get a couple friends together and email MarionOSUDodgeball@gmail.com to sign up your crew. The games will take place on February 27th, 12:30PM, on a rolling schedule as games conclude. Prizes are available for winning teams.
If you know anyone that would enjoy viewing or playing, we welcome everyone. Feel free to share this info or email us for any additional information.
Do you like donuts? If so, we have some news for you!
We are excited to announce that we are doing a crowdfunding event to help raise more money for the Marion Campus food pantry. On February 25th we will be in the Alber Student Center common area trading Krispy Kreme Donuts for any size donations. While enjoying your donut, you can also compete in a trivia contest for a chance to win a $10 gift card! The event will take place from 12:30pm – 1:30pm. We will be accepting donations through both cash and credit card. Any donations less than $5, must be given in cash. Any donations $5 and higher can be done through credit card.
If you happen to forget your wallet, no worries! There will be another opportunity on the next day outside of the art gallery, in the lobby of Morrill Hall! This second event will take place February 26th, 12:00pm-1:00pm.
How many donuts can you get? Well, here are the tiers!
Donations Less Than $5 Will Receive 1 Donut!
Donations of $5 or More will receive 2 Donuts!
“I can go pick up donuts from the store for the same price. Why should I donate?”
All donations help not just the students around you, but they can also benefit you. Have you had those days where you wake up late, rush to class, and never get a chance to grab a breakfast? Your donation can help put food on the shelves! Stop by with an appointment, and you can grab nutritious food items between your classes!
So don’t forget to stop by the Alber Student Center from 12:30pm -1:30pm, on February 25th to donate to the food pantry and receive Krispy Kreme donuts! Any donation will help feed students and make a difference in their lives! We look forward to seeing everybody!
We decided to interview a donor to the OSU Marion Campus Food Pantry, Professor Stuart Lishan, an English professor at OSU Marion. We asked him what inspired him to give to the food pantry. He explained that he has been a big supporter of Amy Tibbals when she was crowdfunding for the Pay It Forward and the program for United Way in her previous class. Professor Lishan brought up the concern of Marion, Ohio’s economic status, stating that the poverty rate of Marion is high and that having this food pantry would be good for the students’ and Marion’s overall health. When asking him about how he thinks the food pantry will be a big benefit, he explained that a wide range of people go to Marion campus and that many people need food. Professor Lishan even noted in seeing some of his colleagues were need of food, stating that one of them was getting green beans for themselves. People in need, just as they’re going through their college education, need this food pantry. Even though it is meant for the OSU Marion campus, he hopes that if someone from the community was in need, they will not turn them down.
Stuart Lishan heard about the campaign for the food pantry from Professor Tibbals, but he also stated that from both this campaign and previous ones, he was one of the first to be a part of the initial proposal for the campaigns as the English chair. When asked about the survey on food insecurity on campus, Professor Lishan stated that while he didn’t know the exact number, he wasn’t surprised in the least of how big of an issue food insecurity was on campus. He compared some of the students as “the walking dead” shambling to classes from exhaustion and lack of proper nutrition. He states that while fast food is cheaper, thus easier to afford than nutritional foods, they ultimately don’t help the students’ overall health. As he mentioned before, the campus is in an area of high poverty; factories and businesses have been shutting down and income has been cut, as some students might have worked in those factories at one time. To him, it’s no wonder that food insecurity is a big issue on campus, regardless of a survey.
We asked him why he thought students have been overlooked in this case. He suggested that ministrations might not have thought of it. He thinks that people get “siloed” into their own world view and focus on the immediate. A professor might focus on what they need to do for a specific class and may not think beyond it, ignoring the bigger picture. However, Professor Lishan stresses that hunger can impede the students’ learning to the point where they might not be able to show up to classes. He believes that professors should want their students to keep coming back to class and that by funding the food pantry, it will allow students to resume classes without having to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
In an overall sense, he thinks many people don’t believe food insecurity to be a problem to college students because of their preconception of what a college student is. Some people think that going to college must mean someone is well off, that they can afford loans for education, or come from the traditional nuclear family to fall back on, but as Professor Lishan already said, students come from varied backgrounds. Some are out on their own for the first time. Some come from broken homes or families that are not well off, while others have families of their own to look out for. We asked him if there is anything he thinks could encourage other faculty and staff to donate and responds with this: look at the bigger picture around you and how this affects the students and the community around campus. Even if you are “siloed” into a view point, it will be in their benefit to see their students have a source of food so they can continue to go to class or show up and participate in class; anything to keep them coming and further their education.
February 13, 2019
A Step in the Right Direction
Many people struggle in choosing which cause they think they should assist, but if you are reading this, then either you have decided to help our cause or at least, learn more about it. We don’t always have the information for why a particular cause is worth fighting for, but fortunately this time we have an expert to assist us!
Whitney Gherman, an experienced provider of healthy food access, shared with us the importance of programs such as SNAP, Buckeye Food Alliance and the Marion Campus Food Pantry, and how they assist people in breaking free of food insecurity. From her prior work alongside Marion City Schools and Children’s Hunger Alliance, helping with their emergency food programs and advising families about food issues, she has expanded her reach further by joining Ohio State University Extension Services, where she has the opportunity to help and educate Ohioans all across the state with food insecurity situations. Gherman explained to us that while there is a lot of food insecurity data out there through organizations such as the Ohio Department of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, according to her, “what’s much more difficult, is being able to find food insecurity rates among college students.”
As evidenced by the results from the research (based on the United States Department of Agriculture survey modules) that Ohio State University (OSU) conducted, they know that food insecurity among OSU college students is higher than the averages: National averages are about 12%, county averages are about 17% and OSU student averages are about 27%. You may ask yourself, “Why is this a big deal?” Well according to Gherman, the effects of food insecurity among students can play a big role in their success. Students that suffer from these issues can have major negative impacts to their academics, causing lower attendance as well as weaker math and writing scores. In fact, Gherman supports the Marion Campus Food Pantry, but doesn’t think we should stop there! Gherman’s support is also for educational programs that help students and, the need to, as she says, “change the environment and policies.” Though the goal is to change the organizational systems, according to Gherman, programs like the Marion Campus Food Pantry can get the proverbial “ball rolling".
According to Gherman, more programs are on the way, but these programs aren’t designed around just college students and have factors that can prevent college students from benefitting from these programs. The factors that prevent college students from receiving assistance from other programs – like hours, transportation and many others – cause college students to suffer, but the Marion Campus Food Pantry is one program that can give them a step in the right direction!
We are so excited and proud of the progress we have already made toward our goal in such a short period of time! We want to thank each of you so much for your donation and helping us reach our goal of $3000. To discuss the importance of this project, we have interviewed two student donors who feel passionate about this amazing service to our campus.
It has already been a week since we kicked off our crowdfunding project for the Ohio State University at Marion Food Pantry! So far, we have already reached 39% of our $3,000 goal, and we are still pushing to get the other 62%!
We want to thank everyone who has donated so far!
We’re pushing consistently to reach out and encourage our student body to donate and
share the message! The number one question we get is, “Why would my donation matter?” To which we reply that if one student gives a simple $5 donation, they supply 20 meals to their peers, improving not only one student’s life, but a clear majority of the campus as well.
Once again, we ask our donors to spread the word about the campaign!
We recently interviewed Mary Ellen Tobin, who works at the Math Lab on campus, and she gave her insights on the Marion Food Pantry and how it will help our students and community.
Our partner Mid-Ohio Foodbank states that each dollar buys an average of four meals. Your donation of only five dollars will help provide twenty meals for students in need.
Giving at this level could provide an average of two weeks of meals for one student in need.
Your donation could provide enough food to feed an apartment of four students for one week.
At this level, you could fill a pantry shelf with 40 cans of chicken, 100 containers of shelf-stable milk or 142 containers of fruit or vegetable juice.
Giving at this level would provide enough for five students to eat three meals per day for 30 days.
Giving this amount would provide enough meals for 10 students to eat three meals per day for 30 days.
Giving at this level would provide enough for twenty students to eat three meals per day for 30 days.
Giving at this level shows that you care to invest in the overall well-being of our students in Marion, Ohio. Supporting the food pantry at this donation level will help create reserves which will ensure the pantry shelves stay fully stocked.
Giving at this level would automatically reach our overall goal, provide students with the assurance of free, healthy food options, and create a comfortable level of reserves to ensure the doors stay open.
