Pete’s Pantry provides food, clothing, and other essentials to OSU Institute of Technology students and employees. And with food prices steadily rising, it’s often a lifeline for its patrons.

The pantry is located on the OSUIT campus, between the Grady W. Clack Center and Covelle Hall. It features several shelves of boxed, bagged and canned food, including breakfast, lunch and dinner items; a freezer full of frozen meat and meals; and two refrigerators loaded with drinks. It also contains hygiene products and houseware, as well as clothing in a room called Pete’s Clothing Closet.

The pantry has become an invaluable resource for students and staff, providing its many items at no cost to the OSUIT community.

“It blesses you when you’re short on cash and trying to make ends meet. It’s a good source when you’re down and out,” said Roderick McDaniel, an OSUIT employee who shops at the pantry each week. “Pete’s Pantry has allowed me to spend my money elsewhere, where needed, because I am able to supplement items available at Pete’s Clothing Closet, along with food and hygiene items.”

Pete’s Pantry is open to students throughout all three semesters at OSUIT. Beth Ann Rogers, the director of Pete’s Pantry, reopened the pantry to OSUIT employees this past summer.

It has grown exponentially since its modest beginning in 2019, when it was a mere shelf of goods in the Lasso Center in the Noble Center for Advancing Technology (NCAT).

“Angie Asmussen and I were on a committee back then and we went to a workshop in Tulsa, and we found out that colleges were having pantries, and we're like, ‘We want to do that,’” Rogers said.

Rogers and Asmussen gathered information on how to open a proper pantry.

“We then found the space [on campus], and it was a lot of work. It was a ton of work to get it going,” she said. “But now that we got it going, it’s turned into a store. It’s turned into so much more.”

Tina Putman, a nursing student at OSUIT, said Pete’s Pantry has been a lifesaver for her and her family, alleviating large expenses during a financially difficult time.

“As a student here for two years — and looking ahead to two more — I have experienced firsthand the quiet, profound impact this pantry makes every single day. Balancing school while taking on three additional children to make ends meet hasn't been easy. When I lost my Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, panic set in, but Pete’s Pantry was there to catch us without an ounce of judgment,” Putman said.

Rising grocery prices have been a heavy financial burden for many Oklahomans. Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service shows that food costs have risen significantly across the nation over the past few years.

Food prices climbed by 2.3% in 2024 and 2.9% in 2025. USDA officials speculated that all food prices would increase 3.1% in 2026 and will grow by another 3.1% in 2027.

In addition to much needed food, Putman relied on Pete’s Pantry for school supplies for her children as well as toiletries, both of which she could not afford to purchase at a store.

The pantry also saved Culinary Arts student Bradley George from having to pay hefty store prices.

“It's been a huge relief because going to the grocery store just to try to get enough food to get me through the week could cost me like $50-60 just buying the cheapest stuff,” George said. “Having the pantry here, I have meats, vegetables, fruits, proteins — really everything I need for a meal there.”

George learned about Pete’s Pantry while touring the OSUIT campus as a prospective student.

“[Pete’s Pantry] was probably the most influential thing on the tour, besides the culinary facilities,” George said. “Before I even set foot on campus, I knew that there was a resource that could solve a lot of problems for me and just make life easier in general.”

George has picked up food at the pantry every week since starting his classes at OSUIT in July 2025. He routinely gets frozen meals, snacks and canned food, but has also been getting cold drinks as of late to help him manage the heat while working in the culinary school’s kitchen.

Students can pick up food and other items at the pantry every day of the school week. Employees are allowed to get food from the pantry once a week. The pantry also gives food boxes to local families who live in Okmulgee and Morris. The food boxes help those families feed their children.

Demand for food has never been higher at Pete’s Pantry. The pantry handed out more than 200 food boxes each week for nine weeks over the summer. Each food box provides 10 meals per child.

“That's 2,000 meals a week that we are providing for our community, for our children,” Rogers said.

Students who work in the pantry through OSUIT’s work-study program help Rogers serve the high volume of pantry patrons. Students who take GED preparation courses at OSUIT helped the pantry this past summer by unloading food boxes on Thursdays.

Joseph Dockrey, an OSUIT student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in applied industry leadership, works in the pantry. He became acquainted with the pantry after losing his SNAP benefits. The pantry provided Dockrey food assistance during a difficult time.

“At first, I was using the pantry quite a bit — very often — for my food, especially right when I moved here,” Dockrey said.

Dockrey is now giving back, stocking food on the pantry’s shelves and helping staff and fellow students who patronize the pantry. He said he knows all too well the struggle of doing without.

“People come here because they don't have easy food access,” Dockrey said. “For us to help that community, that matters a lot to me, especially someone who was at one point in my life homeless. It kind of gives me hope. I'm very proud of it, truly.”

Pete’s Pantry is able to provide food thanks to a wide range of contributions. The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma supplies the pantry with shelf-stable food; the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) provides food through its frozen meal program; and USDA provides the food boxes that are used to feed kids during the summer, according to Rogers.

The pantry also relies on grants and donations to keep the pantry operating and stocked throughout the year. An annual $33,000 funding contribution from an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education grant has been supporting the pantry’s operations. However, the State Legislature did not renew the Regents grant during this past legislative session.

“We’re on our last $33,000,” Rogers said.

Rogers was relieved to learn in late July that two large private donations were made to Pete’s Pantry, one for $15,000 and the other for $7,500.

“That's going to fund us for another year on top of what we already got. So, we're still looking at a solid two years, if not more, of running the pantry the same way that we're running it without any glitch or anything,” Rogers said.

Pete’s Pantry fulfills a vital need for cash-strapped college students.

“If you're a college student, you have come to college, you're finally here, you've saved, saved, saved, you've waited, you've done all the finances, and you're here. And now you don't have any money because you're focused on being here, being a college student,” Rogers said. “And, so, this is their way [to get by]. This is so they don't have to worry about finding that money for food. Whether they need it or not, it is available to anyone at OSUIT who wants to access it.”

Rogers hopes to keep Pete’s Pantry running far into the future, so that no student or staff member struggles to have food or clothing.

“We'll just keep on providing what we can provide, and in that time, I will be seeking out other grants and opportunities to keep the funds coming in,” she said.

The importance of the pantry cannot be overstated, Putman said.

“Words cannot fully capture the gratitude in my heart. Pete’s Pantry doesn't just fill shelves; it changes lives, keeps families going and lifts up students when they need it most,” Putman said. “Thank you to Beth and everyone who donates or supports this incredible community. You are changing lives in ways you may never fully know.”

Pete’s Pantry is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.