The MBI Commuter Pantry

•  Policy
• Information
• Important Facts 
• General Information
• Steps to Becoming a MBI Commuter Pantry User
• Rules for Shopping at the MBI Commuter Pantry
• What to Expect during Your Visit
• Donation Information

We in the Student Activities Office are excited to launch our newest program, the MBI Commuter Pantry! Donations may be dropped off at either the Student Activities Office or the Game Room Office. Please email our department so we may schedule a drop-off time with you. At this point, we are only accepting food that does not require refrigeration.

Policy

The Mission of the MBI Commuter Pantry is to combat food insecurity among commuter (off-campus) students at Moody Bible Institute. Commuter students of Moody Bible Institute come from a plethora of backgrounds and our aim is to assist those who may be facing personal and/or financial hardship. It is especially important during these college years that they are healthy and able to focus by always having enough to eat. Research shows that proper nutrition is critical for cognitive function and memory. Food is a basic human right.

Information

Welcome to the community of MBI Commuter Pantry users. This resource, exclusively for Moody commuter students, is to help you manage life emergencies, financial challenges, and unexpected life circumstances. The Student Activities Office runs the MBI Commuter Pantry in order to help you, the student, move beyond the life challenge of food insecurity, have access to free and nutritious food, with the ultimate goal of helping you achieve academic success.

This service of free food exists only due to voluntary donations given to the MBI Commuter Pantry from people who care. Without them, the Student Activities Office would have no food to distribute to you through the Pantry. This means that our supply of food is limited, that we offer only what we have been given, and that we work hard to make sure that this limited supply of food feeds as many students as possible.

Please help us to serve you and other commuter students by reading ALL of the information listed below.  

Important Facts to Know about the MBI Commuter Pantry

1. 100% of the food comes from donations by other students, staff, faculty, and churches in the Chicago area (Feel free to donate anytime).
2. The Pantry exists to serve students who are missing meals due to severe financial difficulties.
3. The Pantry is a community of Moody students and Student Activities staff who are working hard on students’ behalf to find, deliver, and distribute donated food items. So, we ask that respectful language and honorable/ethical behaviors be in practice, for the sake of everyone, throughout the shopping experience. 
4. All Pantry users are automatically subscribed to the studentactivities@moody.edu email for additional updates to the pantry and campus events. General notifications will include food inventory and student group events.

If you are experiencing very low food security, we encourage you to use the MBI Commuter Pantry. It was created for you!

General Information

• The MBI Commuter Pantry opens from 2PM to 11PM the last Thursday of each month during the school year unless otherwise specified. It will be closed during the summer and holiday breaks.
• The MBI Commuter Pantry is located in the Game Room Office on the 2^nd floor of ASC2 (across the hall from Joe’s Coffee Shop).
• Individuals are served first come, first served. Please be mindful that due to limited supplies and quantities of some items, they may be gone before you arrive to shop. Please be patient as we expand our selection and quantities to accommodate everyone.
• An email concerning the list of donation items will be sent to those who signed up two days prior to the donation day.

Steps to Becoming a MBI Commuter Pantry User

• All Pantry shoppers must register and be a Moody commuter student (those living off-campus as designated by Student Activities) in order to receive resources from the MBI Commuter Pantry.
• Please sign up at least 24 hours in advance to be a pantry user by emailing studentactivities@moody.edu or visiting the Student Activities Office located across the hall from Joe’s Coffee Shop. The hours of the Student Activities Office are 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Students must then state their name and ID number. By signing up for the pantry, this allows your name to be on the list of those overseeing the pantry in the afternoon.
• Fill out the short intake form (it takes only 3 to 5 minutes).
• Please ALWAYS bring your Moody Student ID to the Pantry so you may be signed in by the ASC Assistant at the Game Room desk. We cannot release food without proper Moody Student ID.

Rules for Shopping at the MBI Commuter Pantry

• All Pantry members must be a commuter student (those living off-campus as designated by Student Activities).
• Bring sturdy, reusable bags at each visit to the Pantry.
• Once you arrive to the Pantry, please wait patiently for your turn for us to serve you.
• Be courteous to other shoppers, students, and staff.
• There is no re-entry to the Pantry. Once you have checked out, additional food items cannot be added to your bag.

What to Expect during Your Visit

• Sign-in at the Game Room Office desk and present your legible Moody Student ID to the ASC Assistant for every visit.
• Go to the back of the line while maintaining social distance of 6 ft.
• ASC Assistants who work during donation hours will be provided the list of commuter students who have signed up for the Pantry 24 hours prior to the pantry opening.
• Those who have signed up for the pantry will arrive at the Game Room Office counter and view the various food options printed on the donation list.
• The amount of food given to pantry consumers is dependent on the quantity in the pantry. (For example, if a donation of a large amount of canned green beans was gifted to the pantry, then the Pantry may give consumers two cans instead of one.)
• Pantry users will then check out at the Game Room Office desk with the ASC Assistant.

Donation Information

Without donations, the MBI Commuter Pantry would not exist. Donated canned and dry goods are critical. If you want to support the Pantry, we currently accept both food and grocery gift cards. No amount is too small.

Food donations

• Food donations are accepted throughout the year and can be dropped off at the Game Room desk or directly to the Student Activities Office.
• Items must be in cans, jars, box, cartons, or bags.
• Must be non-perishable (requires no refrigeration or freezing) ** We, unfortunately, cannot accept fresh produce or similar items due to food safety regulations at this time.
• Unopened and in the original container with the original product label.
• Free of dents, rips, stains, moisture and other forms of damage.
• Must NOT be expired.

Most needed items:

• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Rice
• Cereal/Oatmeal
• Breakfast/Snack Bars
• Canned fish
• Canned meat
• Canned beans
• Canned soup
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit
• On-the-go/instant meals
• Pasta
• Pasta sauce

The MBI Commuter Pantry does NOT accept:

• Candy/treats
• Perishable items
• Expired Items

The following signs may indicate that food is unsafe and will not be distributed at our pantry:

Cans

• Too crushed to stack on shelves or open with a manual can opener
• Crushed immediately under the end (double) seam
• Moderate/severe dents where the side and end (double) seams meet
• Rust pits severe enough to make a hole in the can
• Swollen or bulging ends
• Holes, fractures, or punctures
• Evidence of leakage
• Signs of spoilage (spurting, unusual odor or appearance) when opened
• Baby food or infant formula past the expiration date
• Missing label

Glass Jars

• Home-canned instead of commercially canned
• Raised, crooked, or loosened lid
• Damaged tamper-resistant seal
• Cracks or chips
• Signs of spoilage (discolored food; cloudy liquid)
• Dirt under the rim
• Baby food past the expiration date

Cardboard Boxes

• Torn or missing inner packaging in cartons that are slit or opened
• Evidence of insects
• Baby food past the expiration date

Plastic Containers

• Damaged tamper-resistant seals
• Signs of spoilage (mold, off-odor)
• Baby food or infant formula past the expiration date