March 2024 Department Debrief: Buckeye Food Alliance

March 27, 2024

Buckeye Food Alliance

To contact Buckeye Food Alliance: Email info@buckeyefoodalliance.org, visit their website, make a donation, call (614) 688-2508 or see their Frequently Asked Questions

Department Debrief is a monthly article from the Parent and Family Relations office dedicated to helping family members and supporters better understand the services, opportunities and support offered by particular offices for students.

This month, our team met with the Buckeye Food Alliance (BFA) to delve into their impactful mission of combatting food insecurity and explore their approach in providing a diverse array of essential items such as meat, dairy products, personal care items and more through their accessible food pantry so all students have the resources they need to thrive.

1. The solar eclipse is 30 seconds away from occurring, but a student asks you to explain what BFA is. In order to enjoy this once in a lifetime event, what would be BFA’s 30-second elevator pitch to this student?

Buckeye Food Alliance (BFA) is a nonprofit founded in 2016 by Alec Admonius with the mission of ensuring no Buckeye goes hungry.

Nick Fowler, former Buckeye Food Alliance coordinator and now program manager of the Buckeye Resource Center, said BFA is a food pantry dedicated to ensuring students have access to reliable, nutritional and affordable food.

Located in Lincoln Tower, BFA offers a pantry inventory that extends beyond the provision of just food, Fowler said. Although the availability of items may fluctuate based on donations and stock, BFA works to provide a well-rounded selection for students, including fresh produce such as milk, vegetables and pasta as well as personal care items including shampoo, deodorant and toilet paper.

“[BFA] is a food pantry run by students for students,” Fowler said. “We are largely here to serve anybody who is a student here at Ohio State to help them address any needs they might have in accessing food, personal care items or support from additional resources.”

Fowler said BFA was founded after an Ohio State research group in 2014 found 15% of undergraduate students – roughly 7,000 – face the effects of food insecurity. Consequently, some students found themselves unable to afford adequate food amounts, relying on budget-friendly, yet nutritionally deficient options.

Despite the essential nature of food, its significance has become overshadowed by the increasing cost of tuition, housing and other necessities, Fowler said. BFA recognized the urgency in addressing this social issue and became a leader in providing accessible, nutritious food options to all students, alleviating food insecurity and promoting a healthier, more equitable campus community.

“[BFA] started as a student organization and we are still a student organization,” Fowler said. “They really got the nonprofit status in order to help better support students.”

Working with Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Ohio State’s student farm and Kroger as well as receiving donations from outside sources such as the University Women’s Club of Ohio State, BFA has been permitted the ability to provide a full range of products to students, Fowler said. Once recognizing the importance of its mission, Ohio State helped provide staff and a convenient space for BFA’s operations.

2. How can students access BFA’s food pantry?

With one location in Lincoln Tower, Fowler said all students can access BFA’s food pantry through online ordering, an option found on their website.

“Online ordering was a product of the pandemic,” Fowler said. “The reason we continue with it today is because students have told us they enjoy the online ordering model. It makes things super efficient and our demand has grown considerably in that time period.”

To order online, students must first fill out a brief intake form, choose a day and time for their pickup - four to 24 hours before pickup to ensure shopping is from an up-to-date menu – and then place their order by making product selections. Students can then call BFA to notify them of their arrival.

“From an inventory [and] traffic flow perspective, from a supply chain standpoint, the online ordering has been really helpful,” Fowler said.

Fowler said although the nonprofit is dedicated to challenging food insecurity, that does not limit its accessibility to only those facing economic insecurity. Instead, it is simply available for any and all students.

“We’ve served students as young as 17 and as old as 70,” Fowler said. “As long as you are a student here, whether it’s your first day or twelfth year on campus, it doesn’t matter.”

Fowler said BFA is on pace to hit roughly 8,000 visits for this fiscal year. However, students are eligible to come back more than once, so numbers can be a duplicate of one individual.

Regardless, Fowler said BFA’s impact is undeniable, as evident from its consistent utilization and the significant number of students it reaches. Through its commitment to accessibility and support, BFA has and continues to be a nonprofit making tangible impacts upon students, ensuring no Buckeye faces food insecurity alone.

3. How can students, parents and families outside of those utilizing BFA’s services help the nonprofit succeed in its mission?

As a student organization, Fowler said BFA is proudly privileged with the number of volunteers it receives.

“Since we are tied to a student organization, that is our primary recruiting tool,” Fowler said. “To get volunteer staff, we recruit every fall for volunteers.”

To volunteer, students must apply and go through an interview process. If selected, students can then sign up for a set shift every week for the remainder of the semester.

However, Fowler said they are currently hoping to launch the Buckeye Resource Center next fall. With this new adjustment, BFA is hoping to open a location at the Younkin Success Center, a process that would require more volunteers because of longer hours and the provision of more services to students.

Even if students, parents and families are not looking to volunteer, Fowler said simply spreading the word about BFA’s existence and its mission via civic engagement and community discussion, hosting food drives, setting up Amazon wish lists or financially supporting BFA through donations would be instrumental in helping them combat food insecurity.

4. If you could offer one word of advice to Ohio State students, parents and families, what would it be?

Fowler said a common misconception students face when considering utilizing BFA’s services, is that shame is associated with seeking help. Food insecurity, however, impacts all demographics regardless of backgrounds or circumstances.

BFA works to foster an empathetic and understanding culture while breaking down the misconceptions that one should feel ashamed for accessing additional resources necessary to thrive. Seeking help, however, is a sign of strength and should never be considered one of weakness.

“A lot of the time, students aren’t accessing resources that would help them because they feel like they don’t want to take away from somebody else,” Fowler said. “Maybe you do have food in your fridge or in your pantry, but maybe budgets are really tight, and you can’t afford that textbook next semester. Well, how can we utilize some of these food services to offset that cost?”

Even if a student feels they don’t need to utilize BFA’s food pantry, Fowler said students can always sign up to volunteer.

“If you’re in a position where you don’t need to utilize a service like this, but you have room to help a fellow Buckeye, and help somebody else make their college experience a little bit easier, we’d always love to connect and talk about how you can support other students who may be having a rougher time trying to navigate the college landscape,” Fowler said.

Brooke Tacsar
Student Assistant
Parent and Family Relations