Over $8,000 has been donated to Murray State’s Racers Helping Racers Food Pantry by Rocco’s, a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, known for its annual Baseball College World Series Jell-O shot competition.

For every Jell-O shot purchased, $1.50 is donated by Rocco’s owners to the participating university’s local food bank, as well as to food banks around Omaha. During the Murray State Baseball team’s historic run that brought them to Omaha, Racer fans bought 8,340 Jell-O shots, placing fourth out of the eight teams represented. This donation is part of a $130,000 donation to collegiate food banks across the country.

Picture this: Oh no! It’s the second week of school and you’ve already run out of Cheez-its, toilet paper and toothpaste. Unfortunately, the trek to Walmart is just too far to bear in the heat, and who wants to lug those heavy plastic bags all the way across town? Your family won’t be here for another week to help you restock, and with all the hustle and bustle of moving in and starting the first week of classes, you haven’t had time to get a job and earn any money in order to fund this desperately needed grocery trip.

Luckily, an answer to your problem is over on the academic side of campus. Tucked away on the second floor of the Blackburn Science Building is the Racers Helping Racers Food Pantry. It has four shelves filled top to bottom with delicious snack items, an array of ready-to-eat meals and several types of hygiene products ranging from toothbrushes to tampons–and it is completely free to all students.

“We know it can be a lot to pay for food and go to Walmart on your own, so the mission is to let people come here and get what they can,” said Roniya Franklin, a student worker for Racers Helping Racers.

The self-funded pantry, which will reach 12 years of operation in February, is the passion project of Re’Nita Avery, director of student life and the Curris Center. After attending a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators conference, which highlighted successful collegiate food pantries across the country, she felt it was only fitting to bring this resource to Murray State’s campus.

The donation from Rocco’s will be used to continue the pantry’s mission of fighting food insecurity and creating an easier path to success for all students at Murray State.

The pantry has three locations: Blackburn 244, the third floor of the Curris Center and the Hopkinsville Murray State campus. If you want to avoid the hassle of carrying grocery items across campus, the Curris Center location offers curbside pickup. Students can place an online order that will be delivered to their car during their weekday operating hours.

From undergraduate to graduate level students, anyone enrolled in classes at Murray State can come by Blackburn 244 and choose up to 13 items per week. The only requirements are that you must sign in on their Google form and provide your M number and contact information.

The pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the school year, and has varying hours throughout winter and summer break that can be found on Murray State’s website.

Racers Helping Racers is currently looking for student ambassadors who will volunteer to spread the word about the pantry and subsequently allow as many students as possible to reap the benefits of access to free food and hygiene products. If you are interested in being a student ambassador, email Roniya Franklin at [email protected].

Additionally, the pantry is always accepting monetary donations as well as food donations. It relies entirely on funds from student organizations, local businesses and private donors to stay stocked. If you are interested in giving back to the campus in this way, email Avery at [email protected].

Whether you are a regular shopper or a consistent donor, the food pantry is a vital instrument in helping Murray State fight food insecurity and achieve a more stable and successful community of students.