The Pantry

OCSU believes that no student should have to choose between buying groceries and paying bills. The Pantry is run by OCSU as a food bank for OC students. It offers a variety of non-perishable food items as well as basic hygiene and toiletry items for students facing short-term food insecurity and hardship.

Pantry Guidelines

Students may take up to seven items each visit.
Students may use the Pantry once every seven days.
We do not provide bags – please bring your own.
Please do not touch any of the items, and please don’t take anything off the shelves. Let the Pantry staff know what you want and they will grab it for you. We do this to minimize the spread of germs and to help us keep track of inventory.
Only one student is permitted in the Pantry at a time. If you’re coming with a group of friends, please take turns sending one person in while the rest wait in the hallway outside. The Pantry is a very small space and there really isn’t room for more than one person.
If you notice we are helping another student when you arrive, please wait in the hallway outside the OCSU office until you are welcomed in.
Out of consideration for students accessing other services within the OCSU office, please do not crowd the doorways.

Pantry Summer Hours:

Monday: 8am-3pm (closed 11:30-12 for lunch)

Tuesday: 8am-3pm (closed 11:30-12 for lunch)

Wednesday: 8am-3pm (closed 11:30-12 for lunch)

Thursday: 8am-3pm (closed 11:30-12 for lunch)

Closed Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and statutory holidays.

Please note that the Pantry is occasionally subject to unexpected closures, especially in summer. Follow our Instagram for updates on closures.

Location:

The Pantry is located in Room A149, within the OCSU office (Room A148).

Pantry FAQs

Who can use the Pantry?

All currently enrolled students of Okanagan College are welcome to use the Pantry.

Is the Pantry free?

Yes! The Pantry is a 100% free service for our members.

Do I need to register to use the Pantry?

Registration is not necessary to use the Pantry, but you will need to provide your name and student number to the Pantry attendant each time you visit. This information is used for tracking purposes only, and is not shared with anyone outside of OCSU.

Can I pick up for a friend?

No, each student must pick up for themselves.

What kinds of food do you have?

We try to keep a constant stock of non-perishable food items. Our staple items are:

Rice
Pasta and pasta sauce
Canned fruit/veggies
Canned soup
Canned tuna
Granola bars/snack bars

We also sometimes have:

Cereal
Oatmeal
Toilet paper
Juice

Please note that most of the foods we stock require preparation before consuming. We do not typically have ready-to-eat or snack options.

What if I need more food?

Please see our section below for resources in the Central Okanagan community.

If I only take one or two items today, can I come back and take a few more tomorrow?

No. Each student may only use the Pantry once each week, regardless of how many items they take. Furthermore, items cannot be banked/carried over from one week to the next.

How often do you restock?

We try to restock about once per month.

Where do you get your food from?

We purchase the vast majority of our food through the Central Okanagan Food Bank. We also occasionally receive donations from generous staff, faculty, students, and community members. See below for more on donating.

Can I volunteer to work in the Pantry?

Absolutely! We are always grateful for help. Please visit the OCSU office (room A148) to sign up. You can volunteer as much or as little as you like.

Volunteer duties include helping students that visit the Pantry by logging their name and student number and the number of items they took. We may also ask you to help restock/organize shelves when necessary.

Is the Pantry open over the summer?

The Pantry is open all summer long! Summer hours are generally the same as office hours (8am-3pm, closed between 11:30 and 12:30 for lunch). Please follow OCSU Kelowna’s Instagram to stay informed of irregular closures.

Donating to the Pantry

We are always grateful for donations! Non-perishable food items, as well as unopened toiletries and hygiene supplies, are always welcome. Please see our general guidelines below for items we can and cannot accept. If you are unsure if something is suitable to donate, please feel free to call us at 250-762-5445 ext 4250.

We also accept monetary donations via cash, credit, debit, or cheque. Cheques may be made out to “Okanagan College Students’ Union.”

We can accept:

Canned foods such as:
- Soup
- Vegetables
- Fish/meats
- Fruit
Boxed dinners, such as:
- Kraft Dinner
- Sidekicks
- Ben’s Original Rice
Granola, fruit, or breakfast bars
Cereal (must be factory sealed in packaging)
Tea (must be an unopened box, or individually packaged teabags)
Baby food/formula
Diapers
Toilet paper
Hand soap (liquid or bar)
Shampoo/conditioner/body wash (travel or full size) (must be unused/unopened)

We cannot accept:

Anything past its expiration date
Anything that has been used or opened, or is not in its original packaging
Homemade or home packaged food
Perishable food, or food that has a short shelf life
Food that requires refrigeration

Although the following items cannot be accepted as Pantry donations, we are happy to put them on the Free table outside of our office:

Clean, gently worn clothes
Toys
School supplies

OC Serves Up

**OC SERVES UP IS CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER **

Launched in July 2020, OC Serves Up is a program dedicated to helping feed students in need on campus. OC’s very own Culinary and Pastry Arts students prepare up to 50 delicious and nutritious meals as part of their learning curriculum every day. These meals are then donated back to the campus community. This service is run through sponsorship

Each day up to 50 nutritious meals, prepared by OC’s very own Culinary and Pastry Arts students as part of their learning curriculum, are given out to hungry OC students for free. Requesting a meal is easy – students just need to fill out the online signup form each day they want a lunch. Each student can use the service up to three times per week. All current OC students are eligible to participate in OC Serves Up. The program runs during the Academic school year. It does not run in the summer months (typically May-August)

OC Serves Up Guidelines

Each student may sign up a maximum of three times per week.
Each student must pick up their own meal – you cannot pick up for someone else.
The deadline to apply for a meal is 10:30 a.m. the day of. You must fill out the online form each day you wish to request a meal. Please don’t sign up more that once per day.
Please do not submit a form more than 24 hours in advance.
Meals can be requested Monday through Friday (excluding statutory holidays). Pick-up is available from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. inside the OC Cafeteria (F building) at the Kelowna campus.
Some meals may need to be heated prior to eating.
If you are unable to pick up your meal for any reason, please email us at ocservesup@ocsu.ca and let us know as soon as possible so we can give it to another hungry student. We have a limited number of meals each day, and failing to pick up your lunch without letting us know might mean that we have to turn students away.

How to sign up

Simply fill out the form below to request a meal. You need to submit it each time you want to request one. We start accepting signups at around 3pm the day before. We stop accepting signups at 10:30 the next morning or once the 50 student capacity has been reached, whichever comes first.

For example, if you want to request a meal for Tuesday, you can sign up as early as 3pm on Monday or potentially as late as 10:30am on Tuesday. The form may close earlier if capacity is reached.

Community Resources

There are many organizations in the Okanagan Valley that can help you if you need assistance beyond what OCSU can provide. We have listed some of them here.

Disclaimer: These listings are intended for information and reference only. Inclusion on this list does not indicate endorsement from OCSU. We have made our best attempts to ensure the listings are accurate, relevant to students, and are safe and inclusive for all.