The OU Food Pantry will be relocating to 333 Cate Center Dr., where the Cate Center food court used to be located, offering on-campus resources on a grander scale and in a more centralized location. The pantry announced its relocation via social media at the beginning of August, saying the pantry will open its doors officially at the new location on Aug. 23.
The OU Food Pantry serves the OU community, including students, faculty and staff, to act as a resource for a number of necessities while living in Norman: food, toiletries, clothing, home goods and more based on donations at the time.
The pantry has been operating out of 1113 Elm Ave. since its founding in 2017, reaching its 10,000 visitor milestone four years later in February 2021.
Audrey Williams, the pantry’s associate director of development, said the original space was well suited when the pantry was only doing food, however, now that the resource has begun to provide other necessities for clients, the push to find a new location became more pressing.
Williams said over the summer the air conditioning in the pantry’s storage room shut off, putting the food at risk and ultimately leading them to jump-start the initiative to move into the new space on campus.
Big News today from the OU Food Pantry!We are relocating to a NEW space in the next few weeks and plan to open up our new pantry during the first week of the Fall semester. We hope to see you at our new location‼️🥳🫶🏽1113 Elm Ave -> 333 Cate Center Dr pic.twitter.com/fKtY7EVsGj
— OU Food Pantry (@OUFoodPantry) August 1, 2022
“So when we had the opportunity to move into what was the Cate food court, it was really perfect for us just because it's a much bigger space,” Williams said. “We're going to be able to be open more days now. It's going to be easier on our volunteers to keep everything staffed, and it's also just going to be better for people who use the pantry since we'll be in a more central location. Hopefully it'll make it easier for people to know about us and more convenient for them to use our services.”
Williams said the pantry has been open on Tuesdays all summer, even while the volunteers have been packing and moving to the new location. She said it's been a “big effort by a small group of people” over the summer to make sure the pantry’s location will be stocked and fully operational by the start of the fall semester.
Williams added that the space on Elm Avenue was getting “pretty crowded” during the spring semester, especially as people lined up once the doors opened on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“It would get to the point where we almost felt like we were having to shuffle people in and out, which is never at all what we want to do or the experience we want to create,” Williams said.
In the new space, the pantry hopes to recognize its sponsors, take in more donations and act as a community space on campus.
“We serve students, staff and faculty, and we never want to feel like someone's last resort. It's a space for anyone,” Williams said. “In this new space, I'm really excited because everyone who visits, I think, will immediately see that it's an area where you can just be — where you can browse, where you can get what you need and also just hang out and not feel like you're being rushed or shamed.”
During the school year, the OU Food Pantry will now be open three days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Donations can be made at any time while the pantry is open. Online orders can also be placed for the food pantry via its website as well as on OU Engage.
