Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Safety is continuing its tradition of supporting IUP’s Food Pantry and Help Center with a donation of food and nonperishable food products and $100.
The IUP University Police has supported the Food Pantry and Help Center for the last four years with an annual donation to begin the new academic year each fall and through its No Shave November project (a national men’s health awareness campaign). Over the past four years, University Police have donated almost $1,000 and hundreds of food items and toiletries to the Food Pantry and Help Center.
From left, Roger Briscoe II, executive director of Student Inclusion; IUP Public Safety Intern Julliana Vega-Abreu; IUP Police Lieutenant Doug Campbell; IUP Director of Public Safety and Police Tim Stringer; IUP Police Officers Jeff Neal and Mike Porada; and Nicolas Madrid, graduate assistant in the Office of Student Inclusion.
In response to student needs, IUP opened the Food Pantry in 2019; it was expanded in 2021 to become the Food Pantry and Help Center, offering toiletries and school supplies in addition to food items for students. It is located on the ground floor of Wallwork Hall. IUP also offers a food pantry at IUP Punxsutawney.
More than 11,520 students have received support from the Food Pantry and Help Center over the past six years. The program is coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Roger Briscoe II, executive director of the Office of Student Inclusion.
IUP continues to be recognized as a Pennsylvania Hunger Free Campus by the Office of the Governor for its work to include initiatives and resources addressing food insecurity directly into the campus infrastructure.
“The IUP family—employees, students, alumni, and friends—continues to be incredibly generous in their support of the Food Pantry and Help Center, and we are very grateful,” Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Segar said. “The center is a lifeline for many of our students, offering not only food items, but a tangible demonstration of IUP’s care and commitment to meeting them where they are, without judgment.”
“The consistent and generous support from University Police has allowed the Food Pantry and Help Center to continue meeting a growing need among our students,” Briscoe said. “Because of this partnership, we are able to provide a safe, welcoming place where students can turn for help without hesitation. I am also deeply grateful for the relationship we have with Chief Stringer and the IUP Police Department. Their support has been nothing short of amazing. They are among the most caring, compassionate, and giving individuals we could ask for, and their commitment to the well-being of our students and community makes a meaningful difference every day.”
Over the past six years, more than $276,000 has been donated to support the Food Pantry and Help Center, including an anonymous donation of $55,000 announced in April as part of the Impact 150 comprehensive fundraising campaign. Impact 150, with a goal of $150 million, is the largest campaign in the history of the university; it was named and launched in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration, celebrated during the 2025–26 academic year.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.