Pioneer Pantry

BC3's Pioneer Pantry addresses food insecurity.

Food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is having reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet. The debut of the Pioneer Pantry followed a survey in which 38 percent of 304 BC3 student respondents indicated they experienced low or very low food security.

How to Utilize the Pantry

The Pioneer Pantry is available to members of the BC3 Campus Community, including credit and non-credit students, and BC3 employees in partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Shoppers are eligible to visit once per month, but emergency food bags are available. In addition, holiday and special distributions are planned throughout the year. The Pioneer Pantry is located in the Arts & Hospitality Building, Room 100 on the following distribution dates:

Summer 2025 Dates
May 21 - August 20

Wednesdays | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

A Grab & Go Food Station is available on the BC3 main campus in the Pioneer Pantry and the KEYS Office in the lower level of the Student Success Center during regular business hours. In addition, each BC3 regional location also offers a Grab & Go Food Station at their campus.

For information about the BC3 Pioneer Pantry for off-campus students or Non-Butler County residents, please contact the Pioneer Pantry directly via email at foodpantry@bc3.edu.

Additional resources for students or student organizations can be found here.

PA Hunger-Free Campus

BC3 has proudly been designated as a Pennsylvania Hunger-Free Campus by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through August 2024!

BC3 was among the first schools in Pennsylvania to receive the inagural Hunger-Free Campus designation in 2022. This designation recognizes institutions that have taken measures to address student hunger. Read more

Ways You Can Help

Make a Gift to the Pioneer Pantry Online

Follow this link to use the online donation form. When choosing the area you want to support, select “Pioneer Food Pantry” in the dropdown.
Follow this link to use PayPal for your donation. After you enter your dollar amount, you can choose to donate with PayPal or with a credit card. Once you make your selection, the next screen will let you specify that this is a gift to the Pioneer Pantry by filling in the "Add a Note" field.

Please contact the BC3 Education Foundation if you have any questions. Visit the BC3 Education Foundation Support page for other ways to support BC3.

Shop our Amazon Wish List

Shop our Amazon Wish List which is regularly updated with items needed for the Pioneer Pantry, special events, and our holiday gift boxes delivered right to our door.

Donate Food

The Pioneer Pantry gladly accepts donations to keep the pantry stocked with a healthy variety of food for our shoppers. We’re currently accepting ALL TYPES of non-perishable, non-expired food to stock the pantry.

Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:

Administration Building - Hallway outside of the Copier Room
Arts and Hospitality building - Front lobby by the Amy Wise Children's Creative Learning Center
Business and Health Building - First floor Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health lounge area
Business and Health Building - Second floor by IT Department doors
Heaton Family Learning Commons - Second floor lobby
Humanities and Education building - Lobby area
Public Safety Building - Lobby area
Science and Technology building - Lobby near first floor Steffler Board Room
Student Success Center - First floor KEYS Office area
Student Success Center - Second floor by BC3 Bookstore entrance

View interactive campus map here.

Can't make it to one of our locations? Contact us to coordinate the drop-off for your donation.

Volunteer

Volunteer support is critical to our mission to combat food insecurity. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please contact us at foodpantry@bc3.edu.