As Aurea Osgood stocked the shelves of the campus food pantry at Winona State University, she chatted with an international student who bypassed the tuna because she didn’t know how to prepare it. “I grew up with it so I didn’t think twice,” Osgood said. She explained how to use it, and the student, who was relying mostly on peanut butter for protein, took it home.
As leader of the Warrior Cupboard pantry, the interaction highlighted a critical truth for Osgood: the voice of the shopper must drive pantry operations. When she took over as manager six years ago, she started watching which items left the shelves quickest—tuna was at the top of the list, so she added it in easy, on-the-go pouches. She also implemented an intake survey to capture the dietary needs and allergies of students. Then, she added a suggestion board at the site for students to write notes about their experiences.
Osgood participated in FFEN’s Campus Pantry Food Shelf Leader Cohort and said connecting with peers helped her uncover new ways to gauge what was important to students. Sometimes, she noted, food doesn’t move because students lack the proper kitchen tools, or simply lack the time to cook between classes and work.
“It’s about not wasting money and not wasting food,” she said. “If I’m buying food they’re not eating, no one wins.”
Now, Osgood isn’t just reacting to what moves quickly; she’s tracking long-term patterns. She leaned into creating even more avenues for shopper feedback, developing an end-of-year survey asking students to rank their top three most important foods. She also received a Strategic Food Sourcing “health check” from FFEN, which helped her analyze her top pantry expenditures by category. By combining FFEN’s data tools and adding the receipts from locally purchased food to FFEN’s data tools, she developed an even clearer picture of student preferences.
To help students make the most of the food at the food shelf, and to help educate them about foods that might be unfamiliar, she partnered with the campus nutrition club to create signage explaining how to use a dozen different items. A nutrition class also created simple recipes for the pantry using staple goods.
“If ramen is the only thing they know how to make, okay, but … they could throw in pre-cooked or canned chicken, add some frozen veggies, and it suddenly becomes a meal,” Osgood said.
Ultimately, she said, by listening to students, essential items don’t just sit on the shelf, they become the foundation of a healthy diet.
With support from FFEN the food shelf:
- Built a sharper picture of the food students want, using data.
- Uncovered new ways to gauge the priorities of students visiting the site by participating in FFEN’s Campus Pantry Food Shelf Leader Cohort.
- Ensures dollars go toward the most important foods.
