Raider Food Pantry | Photo by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
The yearly Raider Food Pantry competition aims to bring in a surplus of food for the pantry while bolstering friendly competition between university departments.
Raider Food Pantry
The Raider Food Pantry at 055 Student Union is open Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pantry is available to all students enrolled in the current term in need of food assistance. The process is as easy as scheduling an appointment for a half-hour shopping session. Students may utilize the pantry once every two weeks, no questions asked.
The Food Pantry prides itself on creating an environment “in which every individual may think, and learn, and grow without prejudice, intimidation, and without discrimination.”
“I love working here,” student intern Rodney Ryles said. “I love being able to help people find food, and fulfilling requests that make people smile.”
The competition
WSU departments take the yearly Food Pantry competition very seriously, according to counseling and wellness student advocate and case manager Tylar O’Neal-White, who is excited to bring back the competition again after a two-year COVID hiatus.
“It is a friendly competition. It is a really great way to get specific donations in and helps to unite the university,” O’Neal-White said.
The competition is divided into weekly brackets for each division of hot ticket items in the pantry. At the end of the competition, the department with the most donated food is awarded a handmade trophy from the pantry’s own Destinee Biesemeyer.
“Not to mention bragging rights,” O’Neal-White said while laughing.
The weekly categories are as follows:
March 1–4: Breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars, etc.)
March 7–11: Microwavable/dorm-ready meals (Cup of Noodles, mac and cheese cups)
March 14–18: Pantry essentials (cooking oil, condiments, seasonings, but no cookware)
March 21–25: Pasta and rice (plain pasta, white rice, brown rice, etc.)
March 28–31: Peanut butter, jelly and Nutella.
Some departments participating include Wright-Patt Credit Union, the WSU Library and the athletics department. According to O’Neal-White, Wright-Patt Credit Union has been the department to beat this year.
Get involved
The competition runs until the end of March, and O’Neal-White encourages that any department or student organization is welcome to join in on the contest.
For any student who wishes to get involved with the Food Pantry, they are currently accepting applications for their student internships positions.
To contribute to the food pantry, anyone can purchase from their Amazon wish list, donate food and other items, provide financial contributions, or volunteer at the Pantry itself by emailing the pantry about open positions.
