Student Life is spicing it up for the OSU Food Pantry

by Debby Widony

The people who serve the University from the offices of Student Life believe that our lives are enriched by helping others. So, in addition to our daily work implementing strategic plans we are collecting an array of herbs and spices to stock the OSU Food Pantry shelves. We expect our collection will be as diverse as the people in our Student Life community.  As the boxes fill with simple salt, exotic star anise, sweet basil, earthy cumin, warm cinnamon, and other aromatics and herbs, we think about how our work supporting student success is much like the spices that can influence the outcome of a meal.

We’ll be collecting seasonings for the Food Pantry for the entire academic year. Our hope is to also use this opportunity to expand our cultural knowledge as Student Lifers venture into local specialty markets or aisles of our favorite markets that support the cuisines of our colleagues and students who hail from outside the Pacific Northwest.

At the same time we were planning for our collecting of culinary herbs and spices, we accepted the Center for Civic Engagement’s challenge to DOT – Do One Thing. We are excited to contribute in this way and are connecting our Student Life dots to spice it up for the OSU Food Pantry.

Debby Widony serves as the executive assistant to the Dean of Student Life but is better known in Student Life as the Wizard of Odds because of the process, procedure, and policy information bitz she acquires and shares with others.