Pantry moves to Kettler Hall, expanding access and storage

Among the various moves this summer at Purdue Fort Wayne, the FRIENDS of the University Pantry in Cole Clubhouse at Student Housing on the Waterfield Campus has relocated to the Center for Student Counseling on the ground floor of Kettler Hall, which is located just beyond the seating area of Einstein Bros. Bagels.

Exclusive to students and employees, this pantry location will be open Mondays from noon to 3 p.m., and Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. The pantry location at Walb Student Union, Room G36, continues to operate on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It includes service to the general public. No identification is required at either location.

Eric Manor, associate chief of campus and community wellbeing, said the move to Kettler allows the pantry to be in a Main Campus location and provides more storage space. It also allows the pantry to integrate into the Center for Student Counseling, which includes the Mastodon Relaxation Zone that’s open to all students, and a developing employee relaxation area.

In addition to its partnership with Community Harvest Food Bank, the pantry also accepts individual donations, which can be deposited in boxes at several key locations on campus, or by scheduled pick-up. The pantry website includes a list of preferred items, and reusable grocery bags are always appreciated.

Manor said the pantry is developing partnerships with several Dollar General stores through an agreement with Community Harvest and picking up donations from The Salvation Army. He even collected seven pallets of supplies recently from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Zionsville.

There’s also been a connection developed with Out of a Jam, a local nonprofit helping young adults and women develop job skills through cooking and feeding the disadvantaged. Out of a Jam is supplying the pantry with between 60 and 100 meals every two weeks.

From Aug. 1, 2024, to May 30, 2025, the pantry locations served 7,891 visitors, numbers that have been increasing annually. During the last year, there were 1,005 first-time visitors. Traditionally, the pantry continues to serve approximately 1,500 people each summer, and more than half are students.

The pantry is not supported with funding from the university, and the budget varies from year-to-year. Everyone is welcome to contribute financially. Find the food pantry via the gold button titled Click Here to Select Your Fund(s), then choose Food Pantry from the list of options.

Anyone with questions, departments interested in donating items on a regular basis, or those who wish to volunteer can email Manor at [email protected].