About Bounty of the Bridgers
The Bounty of the Bridgers Campus Food Pantry serves any student, faculty or staff member in need on our campus by providing services through one of our three campus food pantry locations, our Food Security Scholarships and our Grab ’N Go Snack Program. Our campus pantries provide bread, produce, non-perishable items and hygiene products that are sourced through sustainable efforts. The Food Security Scholarships award meal plans to students in need of food assistance while on campus. Our Grab ’N Go Snack Program provides snacks across campus so a hungry student is always near a food source to get them through their next class. As we work to expand our efforts, we hope to provide more culturally diverse foods in our pantries and offer produce more consistently as we know the population that we serve greatly appreciates fresh options.
How will my donation be used?
By supporting the Bounty of the Bridgers, you are giving to
programs that combat student hunger and support academic success. While any
donation size helps, check out how far your donation goes:
A gift of $30 can feed a household of two for a week.
A gift of $50 can provide produce options in the
pantry for a week.
A gift of $225 can provide a semester Food
Security Scholarship for one student.
A gift of $500 can fund the campus-wide Grab ’N
Go Snack Program for a month.
Why are donations necessary?
As we are fully supported by donations and grants, your
generosity is necessary in continuing this program and seeing these students
graduate. During Fall Semester of 2023, Bounty of the Bridgers had 436
students apply for food scholarships. Each scholarship requires $225
in funding. The hope for the future is that we have enough resources to be able
to help all students in need! In the Spring 2024 semester, the primary campus
pantry will be moving into a new space in MSU’s new Wellness Center. This space
will greatly increase both our capacity to serve students and our visibility on
campus — a huge accomplishment. With this new visibility, we are anticipating
an increase in student use and we’re saving up to purchase food to meet the
demand.
How were the gifts from GivingTuesday 2022 used?
The funds donated from 2022 directly served hundreds of students as well as faculty and staff in need of food assistance at Montana State University. These funds were spent on food and programmatic support to keep these programs going in a time when even more of our community needed assistance.
The funds raised from GivingTuesday 2022 were used to:
• Support the hire of a full-time staff member to oversee food security efforts at MSU including Bounty of the Bridgers.
• Initiate and sustain the Grab 'N Go Snack Program which now supplies 14 offices across campus with free snacks throughout the academic year.
• Expand our services to serve more students in more locations, including at Gallatin College East, our community college.
The funds donated from 2021 directly served hundreds of students as well as faculty and staff in need of food assistance at Montana State University. These funds were spent on food and programmatic support to keep these programs going in a time when even more of our community needed assistance.