Pack the Pantry

Pack the Pantry will run from Monday, November 16 to noon on Tuesday, November 24. Items must be donated by noon on Tuesday, November 24 to be included.

Pack the Pantry is UBalt's annual food drive competition, held during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week and leading up to Thanksgiving Break. Student organizations and student-facing offices go head-to-head to see who can make the biggest impact by collecting the most pounds of items requested by our Campus Pantry. It's simple: rally your members, collect donations, and bring them in before the deadline. The group or office with the highest donation total takes home the Pack the Pantry Trophy and earns bragging rights until next year's competition. It's friendly competition for a great cause, and every donation makes a difference for fellow UBalt students.

Donation bins will be located in the UBalt Student Center, Room 206, and clearly labeled with the names of participating student organizations and departments so donations can be credited toward each group's total.

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

UBalt student organizations (excluding School of Law organizations) and student-facing offices can sign up by completing this form. For questions, contact Brian Fitzek at bfitzek@ubalt.edu or 410-837-6374.

UBalt School of Law student organizations can sign up by completing the form sent out by the Student Affairs Coordinator Abraham Rodriguez. If you are a law student organization and you have questions, email arodriguez@ubalt.edu or call 410-837-4406.

Pack the Pantry competition is open to UBalt student organizations and student-facing offices as School of Law organizations and offices. If you don't belong to one of these organizations, you can still participate. Donate items and drop them off in the box of your organization or office of choice.

However, anyone can donate to the competition! See below for more information.

The following food items are welcome.

• Shelf-Stable Meats (e.g. chicken or tuna)
• Canned Fruit (“no sugar added” or “in 100% fruit juice” preferred)
• Canned Veggies (“no salt added” or “low sodium” preferred)
• Canned/Boxed Soup
• Instant Meals
• Packaged Snacks (e.g. granola bars, chip bags)
• Healthy Breakfast foods (e.g. cereal)
• Spices and Condiments
• Baking and Cooking Ingredients (e.g. flour, sugar, oils)
• Gluten-Free/Sugar-Free/Vegetarian/Vegan/Kosher/Halal Products
• Baby Products (e.g. diapers, baby food)

The following toiletry items are most needed.

• Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner
• Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
• Deodorants
• Assorted Menstrual Products
• Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, and Oral Hygiene Products
• Single-Use Detergent (e.g. pods or travel-size)

Items Must Be:

• Shelf-Stable (unless otherwise stated)
• 3+ months before their expiration date
• Reasonably sized: The goal of the Campus Pantry is to help as many people as possible in a sustainable and realistic manner. We want to avoid getting a 146-ounce bottle of detergent, which can only go to one person, when three 46-ounce bottles (which is still 32 loads of laundry!) could help three people.

Items Not Accepted:

• Bulk-sized items that cannot be broken up (i.e., a box of 60 individually wrapped granola bars is okay, but a 20 lb. bag of rice is not)
• Those whose packaging is open or damaged
• Any item not in its original commercial packaging
• Glass jars
• Items received from the pantry
• Those past their expiration date

Information on Frozen Items:

• Frozen food donations are welcome, but please do not place them in the collection bins in Room 206. Instead, use the Post-it notes provided in Room 206 to list the frozen items you plan to donate, and place the note in your chosen organization's or department's bin so your donation can be credited to your group. Then drop off the actual frozen food donation at one of the following two locations:
  • Campus Pantry (SC 206) – Tuesday/Wednesday 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
  • CSEI Office (SC 002) – Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Frozen/refrigerated items may only be dropped off during the above times.